Neuro - Pharmacology of the Nervous System Flashcards
Define pharmacology
A chemical substance interacts with a specific target in a biological system to produce a physiological effect
What 3 questions do we ask when talking about a drug/chemical substance?
- What is the target?
- Where is the effect produced?
- What is the effect produced after target interaction?
What is the target for heroin
Opioid receptors
Where is the effect of heroin produced
Peri-aqueductal grey region
solitary nucleus
tegmental area
What is the effect produced after heroin’s interaction with the target
Cough suppression
Euphoria
Analgesia
What are side effects
Effects produced by a drug that are secondary to the intended effect
Where do side effects arise
On other targets in the same tissue
Other targets in other tissue
Same targets in other tissue
What does location of side effects depend upon?
Dependent on the dosage of the drug administered
What is pramipexole?
Dopamine receptor agonist used to treat Parkinson’s
What must we assume from a drug e.g. pramipexole?
That it may affect all 4 dopaminergic pathways in the brain.
Why may we get constipation from pramipexole?
We have dopamine receptors in the gut, so pramipexole may interact with these and cause constipation (side effects on same target, different tissue)
What characterises the safest drugs?
Largest difference between therapeutic and side (adverse) effect inducing dose
When might we need a hospital setting to administer a drug?
When there’s a narrow margin between the therapeutic and toxic dose
What type of molecule are drug targets mostly?
Proteins
What are the 4 main classes of drug target?
Receptor
Enzyme
Transport protein
Ion channel