Introduction to Drugs of the CNS Flashcards
What pharmacological and psychological effects can drugs have on the CNS?
Relief of Pain Induction to Anesthesia Prevention of Epileptic Seizures Treatment of Depression Reduction of Anxiety
Why is there special importance attached to CNS drugs? What are examples to this?
Special importance (humans): recreational uses -> addiction/overdose
(alcohol, tea and coffee, nicotine, cannabis, ecstasy, opioids, cocaine, amphetamines)
What are CNS agents?
CNS agents are medicines that affect the CNS
CNS drugs affect the brain’s use and output of ____________.
CNS drugs affect the brain’s use and output of neurotransmitters (NT)
Drugs can speed up and slow down the productions of _________.
- Neurotransmitters
What are analgesics?
- Narcotic (pain relievers)
- NonNarcotic (acetaminophen and NSAIDs)
What are components of the PNS?
Nerves
What are components of the CNS?
Brain, Spinal Cord
What is the afferent nervous system?
Sensory system that conveys information from the receptors to the CNS
What is the efferent nervous system?
Motor system that conveys information from CNS to the muscles and glands.
The CNS Has routes of incoming stimuli and outgoing stimuli/ actions. What are they called? What are they a part of?
Afferent -> sensory -> input
Efferent -> motor > output
Part of the PNS
What are components of the efferent system?
SNS -> Somatic Nervous system -> information from CNS to skeletal muscle
ANS-> autonomic nervous system -> CNS to 1.) smooth muscle. 2.) cardiac muscle, 3.) glands.
What are components of the autonomic nervous system (categories)?
- Enteric nervous system
- Sympathetic NS
- Parasympathetic NS
What is Sympathetic and parasympathetic stimuli?
- Parasympathetic -> Feed or breed, rest and digest, counteracts sympathetic, lower heartrate.
- Sympathetic -> Emergency/ stress, fight or flight, allows body to function under stress. Increased heartrate, counteracts parasympathetic
What are the differences between human and dog brains?
Lots of similarities, dog brains are smaller, have less surface area, less folds
What is the composition of a nerve?
A Nerve is formed of nervous tissue (neurons plus blood vessels)
What is an efferent nerve?
- Efferent nerve: nerves that conduct signals from the CNS along motor neurons to their target muscles and glands
What are afferent nerves?
Afferent nerve: carries nerve impulses from sensory receptors or sense organs toward
the CNS
What are mixed nerves?
Mixed nerve: nerves that contain both afferent and efferent axons, and thus conduct both incoming sensory information and outgoing muscle commands in the same bundle
What are spinal nerves?
Spinal nerve: mixed nerve that carries motor, sensory, and autonomic signals between the spinal cord and the body
What cells are the building blocks of the CNS?
The building blocks of the CNS are two types of cells: Neurons and Glial cells
What are neurons?
Neurons are specialized nerve cells that can receive and transmit chemical and electrical signals
What are glial cells/ neuroglia?
Glial cells or neuroglia: (support functions) Astrocytes
Oligodendrocytes (provide myelin for many axons)
Microglial cells
Ependymal cells
What is the structure of a neuron ?
A.) Dendrite
B.) Soma
C.) Axon
D.) Axon Terminal