B7.074 Anxiolytic and Sedative-Hypnotic Drugs

Question 1

anxiolytic

Answer 1

decreases anxiety

Question 2

sedative

Answer 2

decreases motor activity, coordination and mental acuity

Question 3

hypnotic

Answer 3

increases tendency to sleep from which the patient easily awakened

Question 4

anesthetic

Answer 4

induces sleep from which the patient is not easily awakened

Question 5

general principles of anxiolytics/hypnotics

Answer 5

many drugs produce these effects, and no drugs fall neatly into any one category
most are CNS depressants that enhance inhibitory neurotransmission

Question 6

complete depressants

Answer 6

produce anesthesia, coma and death

• barbiturates
• ethanol

Question 7

incomplete depressants

Answer 7

typically do not produce anesthesia and will not induce coma or death alone

• benzodiazepines
• non-benzo BZ receptor antagonists

Question 8

general features of the GABA receptor

Answer 8

primary inhibitory neurotransmitter in the CNS
pentameric ion-channel coupled receptor
has multiple binding sites
-GABA - 2 per channel complex
- allosteric binding sites - at least 4 different types