Chapter 4: Psychopharmacology

Question 1

what are neurohormones?

Answer 1

secreted by special neurons into the blood supply, cells that produce neurohormones are located in the hypothalamus and adrenal gland

Question 1

what are neuromodulators?

Answer 1

influence more global functions, diffuse away from their site of release to influence distant populations of neurons, only interact with metabotropic receptors to induce long-lasting changes, can influence pre- and post-synaptic activity

Question 2

what are neurotransmitters?

Answer 2

act on neurons in their own immediate vicinity (at the synapse)

Question 3

what are some characteristics of acetlycholine?

Answer 3

small molecule produced in cholingergic neurons, nicotinic (ionotropic) and muscarininc (metabotropic) receptors, primary neurotransmitter at neuromuscular junction, essential to the operation of the autonomic nervous system, plays a role in attention and memory

Question 4

what are some characteristics of dopamine?

Answer 4

dopamine is a small molecule thats activity is associated with motivated behavior and reward processing as well as movement, nigrostriatal and meso-limbo-cortical

Question 5

what are some characteristics of norepinephrine?

Answer 5

small molecule that increases arousal and vigilance and is the primary neurotransmitter in the SNS

Question 6

what are some characteristics of epinephrine?

Answer 6

regulation of eating and blood pressure and is produced by adrenal gland, helps neurons communicate in the brain

Question 7

what are some characteristics of serotonin?

Answer 7

small molecule that participates in the control of mood, sleep, social status, aggression, and appetite, most serotonergic neurons are found in the raphe nuclei

Question 8

what are some characteristics of glutamate?

Answer 8

small molecules that are the major excitatory neurochemical in the CNS, both metabotropic (mGLUR) and ionotropic (NMDA and AMPA), important in memory formation

Question 9

what are some characteristics of GABA?

Answer 9

small molecule that is the major inhibitory neurochemical in the CNS, synthesized from glutamate, GABAa receptors are ionotropic and interact with psychactive drugs, GABAb receptors are metabotropic

Question 10

what are some characteristics of neuropeptides?

Answer 10

act as neuromodulators and neurohormones, must be transported down axon to be released (slow process), often co-released with small molecules

Question 11

what are some examples of neuromodulators?

Answer 11

endorphins (pleasure, euphoria)
substance P (pain perception)
insulin (digestion)
cholecystokinin (CCK, digestion)
oxytocin (social and romantic bonding, produced in the hypothalamus and released by the posterior pituitary gland)

Question 12

agonists vs antagonists?

Answer 12

agonists enhance the activity of a neurotransmitter, antagonists reduce the activity of a neurotransmitter

Question 13

what does reserpine do?

Answer 13

blocks uptake of monoamines into the synaptic vesicles which reduces the amount of monoamines available at the synapse

Question 14

what does AMPT do?

Answer 14

reduces the production of dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine

Question 15

what do MAO inhibitors do?

Answer 15

interfere with the breakdown of monoamines within the axon terminal

Question 16

what does caffeine do to the brian?

Answer 16

acts as an adenosine antagonist

Question 17

what does nicotine do to the brain?

Answer 17

acts as a nicotinic cholinergic receptor agonist

Question 18

what does cocaine do to the brain?

Answer 18

acts as a dopamine reuptake inhibitor

Question 19

what does amphetamine do to the brain?

Answer 19

stimulates release and inhibits reuptake of dopamine and norepinephrine

Question 20

what does ecstasy (MDMA) do to the brain?

Answer 20

stimulates release of serotonin and oxytocin, toxic to serotonergic neurons

Question 21

what does cannabis do to the brain?

Answer 21

increases dopamine by blocking GABA release and produces euphoria, perceptual distortion, hallucination, analgesia, and hunger

Question 22

what does alcohol do to the brain?

Answer 22

similar action to benzodiazepines and barbituates, acts as a GABAA receptor agonist and acts on the glutamate, dopamine, and opioid systems, stimulates dopaminergic reward pathways

Question 23

how does dopamine disinhibition work?

Answer 23

cannabis, opioids, and alcohol increase dopamine release by inhibiting the release of GABA which inhibits dopamine

Question 24

what are the monoamine neurotransmitters?

Answer 24

catecholamines such as dopamine, norephinephrine, and epinephrine, and indoleamines such as serotonin and melatonin

Question 25

why do MAOIs increase monoamine neurotransmitters?

Answer 25

monoamine oxidase is involved in removing norepinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine from the brain, so by inhibiting monoamine oxidase is allows those neurotransmitters to increase