Neuropharm Flashcards
What parts of the brain are in the brain stem?
Midbrain
Pons
Medulla
What parts of the brain stem have a tegmentum?
Midbrain
Pons
Medulla
What are gray matter vs. white matter?
Gray matter = cell bodies
White matter = bundles of axons organized as tracts
What are examples of cell bodies in the tegmentum of the pons/medulla?
Locus ceruleus = neurons project NE
Raphe nuclei = neurons project 5-HT
Describe basal ganglia
5 paired nuclei
Motor feedback pathway
*lesions = movement disorders
What is the “extrapyramidal motor system”?
5 paired nuclei
1) caudate + 2) putamen = striatum
3) globes pallidus
4) subthalamic nucleus
5) substantia nigra (midbrain)
Describe the 5 steps of neurotransmission
1) synthesis + storage of NT
2) release of neurotransmitter by exocytosis
3) diffusion to postsynaptic cell
4) binding of neurotransmitter to receptors on postsynaptic cell, initiating a response
5) termination of neurotransmitter action
What are the key components of the somatic motor system?
Upper motor neuron
Lower motor neuron
Neuromuscular junction (NMJ)
Skeletal muscle
What can lesions to key components of the somatic motor system cause?
Weakness/paralysis
Describe spasticity
Spasticity =
Some lesions cause a dec. muscle stretch reflex or increased muscle stretch reflex
What are key components of somatosensory system?
Three sensory neurons
Descending pain inhibition system
+use NE and 5-HT
+regulated by periaqueductal gray matter (PAG)
What can lesions to the somatosensory system cause?
Loss of somatosensation
Some lesions can cause “neuropathic pain”
