Physiological/Psychopharmacology Flashcards
Ataxia
loss of muscle coordination and balance
What are the effects of Dopamine?
Drive, psychOsis, Parkinsons, Attention, Motor, Inhibition of prolactin, Narcotics, Extrapyramidal
Dopamine is involved in the reward pathway, which corresponds to the Ventral Tegmental Area (near the hypothalamus, involves the nucleus accumbens). Use “very tired addict” as a way to recall this association and to note that the VTA is overstimulated in addicts.
What are the effects of Serotonin?
Remember: “head, red and fed” to recall most of serotonin’s functions.
Head = very common NT in the brain, involved in depression, anxiety, social interaction, migraines
Blood = platlet function (e.g., bleeding)
Fed = most of the serotonin is in the GI tract, which can be involve in nausea
Tricyclic Anti-Depressants
Amitriptyline / Elavil, Endep
Doxepin / Sinequan, Adapin
Imipramine / Trofanil
Clomipramine / Anafranil
Nortriptyline / Pemelor
Believed to work by blocking the reuptake of NOREPINEPHRINE, DOPAMINE, AND/OR SEROTONIN. Most useful in treating somatic, vegetative symptoms.
Side effects: anticholinergic effects, confusion, drowsiness, weight gain.
Also used in tx of panic, agoraphobia, bulimia, OCD.
Amitriptyline / Elavil, Endep
Tricyclic
Doxepin / Sinequan, Adapin
Tricyclic
Imipramine / Trofanil
Tricyclic
Clomipramine / Anafranil
Tricyclic
Nortriptyline / Pemelor
Tricyclic
What is anti-cholinergic?
Refers to drugs that block and inhibit the activity of the acetylcholine (ACh) at both central and peripheral nervous system synapses.
Antipsychotics and Tricyclic meds are most likely to cause anticholinergic effects, which include dry mouth, blurred vision, tachycardia, urinary retention, constipation
Narcotics-Analgesics
AKA: Opioids. Examples include: Heroin, fentanyl, buprenorphine, oxycodone methadone, and morphine.
Narcotic analgesics are used in medicine as strong analgesics, for relief of severe or chronic pain. Some, for example, methadone and buprenorphine, are also used to treat addiction to opioids.
Chronic use = tolerance, psychological and physiological dependence
Withdrawal symptoms = bad case of the flu. Not medically dangerous
Drugs where withdrawal can be fatal?
barbiturates, benzodiazepines, alcohol
What are examples of sedative-hypnotics (benzodiazepines)?
Answer: barbiturates (e.g., phenobarbital), anxiolytics (e.g., Xanax, Ativan, Klonopin), and alcohol.
akathisia
extreme motor restlessness
dystonia
a state of abnormal muscle tone resulting in muscular spasm and abnormal posture
Extrapyramidal side effects
Most commonly associated with drugs that work on dopamine receptors (e.g., traditional antipsychotics).
Thought to confer damage to dopamine receptors in the caudate nucleus
Tardive dyskensia
The most serious of extrapyramidal effects.
Consider: the behavior of tardive dyskensia is similar to Huntington’s disease, which also involves damage to the caudate nucleus
Neuroleptic malignant syndrome
A rare but potentially fatal side effect of traditional antipsychotics. Characterized by rapid onset of motor, mental, and autonomic nervous symptoms like muscle rigidity
anomia
A specific type of aphasia: difficulty in spontaneously finding words (usually nouns and verbs) during conversation or in naming tasks.
Anomia primarily affects word retrieval, while aphasia can affect multiple aspects of language.
paraphasia
speech disturbance resulting from brain damage in which words are jumbled and sentences meaningless
Whereas aphasia involves anomia (word finding difficulties), making up words, speaking in short phrases, paraphasias involve substituting sounds for another, transposing sounds in words, made-up words.
Conduction aphasia
Caused by damage to the arcuate fasciculus (white matter tract connecting Broca to Wernicke). Does not alter comprehension, but does result in anomia, paraphasia, and impaired repetition
