Chapter Four Flashcards
What is psychopharmacology?
study of the effect of substances on the nervous system and behavior
What are psychoactive substances?
any substance that impacts normal psychological functions
legal and illegal; powerful and benign
Central drugs
can get into your brain; get through the blood barrier
Peripheral drugs
cannot get into your brain
Intravenous IV
injected into vein; very quickly into the brain
Intraperitoneal (IP)
into peritoneal cavity (gut); not as fast as IV but still fast
Intramuscular (IM)
into a large muscle such as butt or thigh
Subcutaneous
can inject as liquid or pellets; beneath the skin
Oral
mouth, throat, nasogastric, most common
Sublingual
under the tongue
Intrarectal
when stomach is too sensitive for oral
Inhalation
smoking, inhalation, huffing
Topical
right onto the skin
Intracerebral
right into the brain
Intracerebroventricular
right into ventricular system; spinal tap or epidural
Which type of chemicals can cross the BBB?
lipid soluable
Dose Response Curves (DRC)
graphical representation of drug effect; come in a variety of shapes
drugs with different effects may have two different shaped DRC
Therapeutic Index
difference between effective dose of the drug and the to dose of the drug
bigger the therapeutic index-safer the drug
Barbituates vs. Benzos
margin of safety is much larger for benzos-why they are used now
Tolerance
more you take, higher dose needed
once believed to be purely physiological addiction
withdrawal
arises from physical addiction
some drugs are more addicting with worse withdrawal;
Psychological Dependence
mental; can be more difficult to break than addiction
Agonistic
facilitates post-synaptic effects; makes transmission quicker
Antagonistic
inhibits these effects; blocks
Direct Agonist
bind to reception and “mimic” neurotransmitter effect
Direct Antagonist
placekeeper; binds to the receptor and blocks neurotransmitter effect
does not activate receptor
Non-competitive binding
multiple receptor site for multiple compounds
Indirect Antagonist
a ligand binds to one of the multiple receptor and blocks neurotransmitter
Indirect Agonist
ligand binds to one of the multiple receptor sites and “mimics” neurotransmitter effect
Blocking reuptake and inactivating enzymes
clean out the synapse
Does blocking reuptake or inactivating enzymes have a longer effect on the cell?
stopping repute because the neurotransmitter stays on the receptor
Why are blocking reuptake and inactivating enzymes agonistic?
they result in more transmitter in the synapse
Glutemate
main excitatory transmitter
GABA
main inhibitory transmitter
Where are Gulatemate and GABA found?
both are found throughout the brain and serve to all regions/structures in the brain
Acetycholine (Ach)
efferents that go to the muscle
involved in REM, learning, and memory
How is Ach deactivated?
enzymatic deactivation
Botulinum Toxin
prevents the release of Ach, causing paralysis (1 tsp. could kill 7 billion people)
causes respiratory distress because muscle of chest wall inhibited
Black Widow Venom
opposite effect-agonistic
Neostigmine
Ach agonist used to treat myasthenia graves (muscular weakness)
Nicotinic
Ach receptor; stimulated by nicotine
Muscarinic
Ach receptor; stimulated by muscarine
Cucare
blocks nicotinic receptors; leaves person completely paralyzed but fully conscious; used in poison arrows/darts
two varieties of monamine
catecholamines and indolamine
Catecholamines
dopamine, epinephrine, norepinephrine
Epinephrine
activates the sympathetic nervous system- adrenaline
Indolamine
serotonin (5-HT)
Dopamine
Parkinson’s, Schizophrenia, Cocaine/Amphetamine
involved in rewards/pleasure
L-Dopa
treatment for Parkinsons
works really well for a while but more brain cells die off and eventually there are no cells to use it
Nigrostriatal system
in substantia nigra- sends projections to basal ganglia (parkinsons)
Mesolimbic System
to limbic system
Mesocortical system
to prefrontal cortex
Dopamine reuptake blockers
amphetamine, cocaine, ritalin
leave it in the synapse/receptors prolonging the effects
Norepinephrine
found in the PNS;
partly responsible for sympathetic NS effects on organs
produced by same process as dopamine..an additional enzyme converts dopamine into norepinephrine
not released from terminal buttons
Axonal Varicosities
swelling on axon terminals that make NE neurons look like beaded chains
Where is epinephrine produced?
adrenal medulla
Serotonin
important role in mood, sleeping, pain
most cell bodies of serotonergic neurons in brain stem
What is the precursor to serotonin?
tryptophan
What is related to a decrease in serotonin?
depression
Where is serotonin released from?
varicosities
Is Prozac an agonist or antagonist?
agonist-stops reuptake
Fenfluramine
serotonin agonist; appetite suppressant, but causes drowsiness
