Pharmacology of the nervous system

Question 1

What are the 4 main drug targets?

Answer 1

1. Receptors
2. Enzymes
3. Transport proteins
4. Ion channels

Question 2

What do drugs do in a broad sense?

Answer 2

Enhance activation or inhibit activation

Question 3

To be an effective therapeutic agent, a drug must show what for a particular drug target?

Answer 3

A high degree of selectivity (lock and key hypothesis)

Question 4

What is the definition of a side effect?

Answer 4

An effect secondary to the intended effect, if it has negative health consequences it is an adverse effect

Question 5

What can cause side effects?

Answer 5

Off-target effects:
The drug binding or responding to similar compounds as the drug target (lower degree of selectivity)
Effects on same target:
Can bind or effect the same drug target but in a different organ or tissue in the body

Question 6

What makes a drug safer?

Answer 6

Having a larger difference between the dose required to have the desired effect and the dose to have the side/adverse effects