Lecture 3 - Neuropharmacology Flashcards

1
Q

What are the symptoms of depression?

A

Anhedonia
Sustained bad mood
Low serotonin –. bad mood
Low NA –> low drive

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2
Q

What is anhedonia?

A

the inability to feel pleasure in normally pleasurable activites

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3
Q

What are the key anti-depressants also used as anxiolytics?

A

Tricyclics
SSRIs
SNRIs
MAOIs

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4
Q

How do tric-cyclics work?

A

They inhibit NA and 5HT reuptake therefore increasing the synaptic concentration of both.

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5
Q

Give an example tri-cyclic

A

Amoxapine

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6
Q

How do SSRIs work?

A

They inhibit 5HT reuptake –> Increased synaptic serotonin

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7
Q

Give an example of an SSRI

A

Citalopram

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8
Q

How do MAOIs work?

A

They inhibit monoamine oxidase leading to increased synaptic NA and 5HT concentrations

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9
Q

Give an example MAOI

A

moclobemide

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10
Q

How do SNRIs work?

A

They inhibit both NA and 5HT reuptake thus increasing synaptic concentrations of NA and 5HT
Higher efficacy than try-cyclics

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11
Q

Give an example SNRI

A

Venlafaxine

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12
Q

How come the results of anti-depressants/anxiolytics can take weeks-months?

A

An increase in synaptic NA and 5HT causes increases neurogenesis int he dentate gyrus, increase in dendrite arborisation and synaptogensis and pre-synaptic desenstization

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13
Q

What is the key problem with developing new anti-depressants and anxiolytics?

A

There is a huge placebo effect

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14
Q

What are promising new targets for anti-depressant development?

A
Sodium dependent serotonin transporter and the noradrenine transporter
Opoid receptors
NMDA receptors
mGluR5
mGluR7
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15
Q

Outline the process of validating a new drug target for emotional disorders

A

Is it localised in key areas?
Perform genetic studies: ablation, KO
Use agonists and antagonists
Drug screening for suitable antagonists

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16
Q

What are the patterns of communication in the nervous system?

A

Point to point

Diffuse modulatory

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17
Q

What NTs does Point to point communication use?

A

Glu and GABA

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18
Q

Outline diffuse modulatory communication

A

Key in anxiety and depression
NA - controls attention, drive, arusal and sleep wake
5Ht - controls mood

19
Q

What disease is the cholinergic diffuse modulatory system important in?

A

Alzheimer’s Disease

20
Q

What are the drugs currently marketed for AD and how do they work?

A

Exelon and Ancept target acetylcolinesterase causing an increase in ACh in the CNS compensating for degeneration

21
Q

What are the problems with Exelon and Ancept, the AD drugs?

A

They have a low efficacy and many side effects

22
Q

What disease is the dopaminergic diffuse modulatory system important in?

A

Parkinson’s Disease

23
Q

What is important about the dorsal dopaminergic diffuse modulatory system?

A

It is key for movement initiation

24
Q

What is important about the ventral dopaminergic diffuse modulatory system?

A

Involved in cognition, reward and addiction

25
Q

What are the positive symptoms of schizophrenia?

A

Delusions Hallucinations

26
Q

What are the negative symptoms of schizophrenia?

A

Lack of emotion
Low energy
Social isolation

27
Q

When is the typical onset of schizophrenia?

A

Late puberty

28
Q

What are the main anti-psychotics?

A

Chlorpromazine
Haloperidol
Atypical Anti-psychotics

29
Q

Describe Chlorpromazine, the anti-psychotic

A

D2 receptor antagonist

Causes sleepiness, weight gain, tardive dyskinesia

30
Q

Describe the anti-psychotic Haloperidol

A

Can cause EPS

D2 receptor antagonist

31
Q

What is EPS?

A

Extra pyramidal symptoms including dystonia, akathasia, parkisonisn and tardive dyskinesia

32
Q

Name two atypical anti-psychotics

A

Clozapine andOlanzapine

33
Q

Describe atypical anti-psychotics

A

Very high affinity for the D4 receptor
EPS is reduced
Prolonged high dose causes destruction of organs
High efficacy

34
Q

What is PCP?

A

A street drug that induces the positive symptoms of schizophrenia, enhances psychosis in patients with Schizophrenia by blocking NMDA receptors

35
Q

Outline a new possible method of treating Schizophrenia

A

Using mGlu2/3 receptors agonists
No EPS Symptoms
Showed improvement of both positive and negative symptoms compared to Olanzapine
In rats induced epileptic seizures, not seen in humans

36
Q

What is the Best reward pathway?

A

The Frontal Dopamine Diffuse modulatory system

37
Q

How does nicotine work?

A

It targets alpha 7 causing increased cognition

38
Q

How do amphetamines work?

A

They increase NA, DA and 5HT by blocking reuptake and facilitating release

39
Q

How does cocaine work?

A

Increases DA, NA and 5HT by blocking reuptake

40
Q

How does cannabis work?

A

It targets the CB1 receptor

41
Q

How does ethanol work?

A

It targets the GABA a receptor causing increased function, acting as an anxiolytic and sedative
It increases DA and L glu release

42
Q

What is important about mGluR7?

A

It is a possible target for treating alcohol dependence, as agonists reduce alcohol consumption

43
Q

How does LSD 25 work?

A

It increases efficacy of psychoanalysis