Neurotransmitters & Drugs

Question 1

acetylcholine (ACh)

Answer 1

usually excitatory
used by all peripheral motor neurons
controls parasympathetic autonomic system (decreases heart rate, constrict eye pupil)
involved in sensory and motor paths in the brain
has 2+ types of receptors (ionic and metabolic)

Question 2

what are the catecholamine neurotransmitters?

Answer 2

norepinephrine and dopamine

usually inhibitory, can change function if used with another neurotransmitter

Question 3

norepinephrine

Answer 3

involved in the sympathetic autonomic system (increases heart rate, galvanic skin response, opens eye pupil)
produced by the locus coeruleus in the brain
has 4+ types of receptors (metabolic)

Question 4

dopamine

Answer 4

produced in the substantia nigra of the brain

has 5+ types of receptors (metabolic), categorized into two families (D1 and D2)

Question 5

serotonin

Answer 5

is excitatory and inhibitory
produced in the raphe nucleus
has 7+ types of receptors (ionic and metabolic)

Question 6

what are the amino acid neurotransmitters?

Answer 6

glutamate and GABA

Question 7

glutamate

Answer 7

excitatory
located in cortex and the rest of the brain
has 5+ types of receptors (ionic and metabolic)

Question 8

GABA

Answer 8

aka Gamma-AminoButyric Acid
inhibitory (allows Cl- to enter the neuron)
in cortex and the rest of the brain
is the neurotransmitter present in most cortical neurons
has 10+ types of receptors (ionic and metabolic)

Question 9

what are the opioid neurotransmitters?

Answer 9

endorphin and enkephalin

have 3+ types of receptors (metabolic)

Question 10

endorphin and enkephalin

Answer 10

excitatory and inhibitory
involved in pain prevention (analgesia) and reward
located in brain stem
made in the periaqueductal gray (PAG)

Question 11

nitric oxide

Answer 11

reverse neurotransmitter (moves from postsynaptic neuron to presynaptic neuron)
is generated by a postsynaptic enzyme in response to a neurotransmitter

Question 12

how does nitric oxide move in reverse?

Answer 12

• leaks out the dendrite

- enters the presynaptic neuron directly, without using a membrane receptor

Question 13

what determines the effect of a neurotransmitter?

Answer 13

the receptor!

Question 14

where do most psychoactive drugs act?

Answer 14

the synapse!

Question 15

what are the types of functional drug effects?

Answer 15

agonist, antagonist, inverse agonist

Question 16

agonist

Answer 16

mimics the effect of the neurotransmitter
presynaptically releases neurotransmitters or prolong NT life within the cleft
post-synaptically activates the receptors or facilitates NT binding

Question 17

antagonist

Answer 17

has the opposite effect of the neurotransmitter
presynaptically suppresses NT release or life
post-synaptically blocks the receptors

Question 18

inverse agonist

Answer 18

has the opposite of neurotransmitter
is stronger than an antagonist
binds to NT receptor, has the opposite effect

Question 19

routes of drug administration

Answer 19

oral ingestion
sniff and nasal mucosa
IV injection
smoke

Question 20

which route of drug administration gives you the highest concentration of the drug?

Answer 20

IV injection

Question 21

which route of drug administration gives one the faster rise in brain concentration of the drug?

Answer 21

smoking

Question 22

long term effects of drug use

Answer 22

receptor down-regulation
neural sensitization
neurotoxicity

Question 23

receptor down regulation

Answer 23

tolerance (fewer receptors are made to respond to the NT)

withdrawal (normal NT release gives a low signal)

Question 24

neural sensitization

Answer 24

aka addiction
neurons are hypersensitive to a NT
gene sensitive
depends on hormones and past experiences

Question 25

neurotoxicity

Answer 25

neurons are killed with prolonged response to the drug