Central Nervous System Drugs Flashcards
Cerebrum
Thinking portion: Perception, Speech, Conscious motor movement, Skeletal muscle movement, memory, smell
Higher brain functioning
Thalamus
All nerve endings come here
Relay center: Sounds, sights, pain, touch, temperature.
Sends out motor response - needs to go back to the had to tell it to take it off the burning iron
Controls mood and motivation
- Associated with bipolar, anxiety, panic disorder, OCD
Hypothalamus
Ventral to Thalamus
Controls homeostasis
Major visceral control center: Hunger, thirst, water balance, body temp
Part of limbic (emotional balance)
Connection with brainstem (HR, RR, BP, Pupil size)
Plays a big part in the autonomic system
Cerebellum
Little brain at base of brain
Controls: Muscle movement, balance, posture, tone
Recieves info on vision, position, equilibrium, touch, and calculates strength
Injury results in uncontrolled jerkiness
A lot of Parkinson drugs work here
Brain Stem
Connects spinal cord to brain
Medulla oblongata (A lot of vital signs are regulated here), pons and midbrain here
Major relay center
Major reflex and control center: Breathing, Heart rate, swallowing, coughing, vomiting, vision
Spinal cord
Transmits to and from brain
Disruption: Paralysis, Paresthesia
Afferent nerves - to the brain
Efferent nerves - away from brain
Limbic system
Group or series of brain pathways
Responsible for emotion and mood
Some pain meds designed to effect Limbic system due to the emotional factor or pain
Reticular Activating System
Responsible for heightened alertness
Sleep meds designed to slow down RAS
Some motor units involved
Basal Ganglia
Responsible for Posture and movement
Cognitive function.
Blood brain barrier
Protects brain from pathogens and toxins
Supplies Oxygen, glucose, and nutrients
CNS drugs must penetrate
Neuron parts
Dendrites come before cell body
Carry message to the cell body
Cell body interprets message and pushes info down the axon.
Transfers to another nerve through the synapse
Monoamines
Dopamine. Epinephrine, Norepinephrine, Serotonin.
Amino Acids
Asperate, Aminobutyric acid (GABA), Glutamate, Glycine.
Gamma Aminobutyric acid (GABA)
Inhibits over excitation of brain
Slows things down
Used for seizure medication and sleep disorders
Opiod peptides
Dynorphins, Endorphins, Enkephalins
They are endogenous; therefore the body makes it’s own opium.
Nonopioid peptides
Neurotensin, Oxytocin, Somatostatin, Substance P, Vasopressin
Substance P
Pain control
Acts as a neurotransmitter
Has a role in interpreting pain
Has a role in regulating self produced endogenous analgesic response.
Big reason why we have different pain tolerance levels.
Actions of drugs
Blocking the reuptake of neurotransmitters
Blocking the enzymes that break down the neurotransmitters
Stimulating specific receptor sites when neurotransmitter is unavailable
Stimulating presynaptic nerve to release greater amounts of neurotransmitter
Pain definition
Whatever the experiencing person says it is and wherever he says it does.
An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage.
Four phases of pain
Transduction
Transmission
Perception
Modulation
Transduction
Stimulation of first nerve; at the site of injury
Injured tissue release chemicals that propagate pain messages such as prostoglandins or kinnins or histamines (become neurotransmitters)
Neurotransmitters stimulate or sit on nociceptors (nerve ending) located on skin, connective tissue, muscle, circlulatory system, thoracic, abdominal, and pelvic areas.
Stimulated by trauma, injury or chemical mediators.
Stimulates first nerve
Transmission
Nerve 1 to the spinal cord then to the brain
Pain stimuli enters spinal cord in the dorsal horn
Substance P is released in response to pain (a peptide in the dorsal horn) (Acts as neurotransmitter)
Glutamate and ATP also act as neurotransmitters
Differences here may be why we have different pain tolerances.
Afferent Neurons
Carry signals TO CNS
Pain begins in nociceptors in afferent neurons and gets carried to CNS
Perception of pain
Pain impulse reaches brain
Brain now has a conscious awareness of pain sensation
LIMBIC SYSTEM ACCOUNTS FOR EMOTIONAL RESPONSE
Higher cortical structures will identify as “pain”