Psychoparmacology Flashcards

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1
Q

Psychopharmacology

A

-The study of the physiological and psychological effects of drugs on the nervous system and behaviour

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2
Q

Drugs

A
  • Drugs are exogenous
  • Change cellular function if absorbed into the blood stream and distributed to their site of action
  • Effects wear off as drug is metabolized by enzymes in the brain, blood or liver then excreted through urine
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3
Q

Pharmokinetics

A

-Study of the absorption, distribution and elimination of drugs

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4
Q

Drug administration

A
  • IV injection (fastest, direct to bloodstream)
  • Intraperitoneal injection (abdominal wall, rapid, uncommon in humans)
  • subcutaneous (contraceptive implant)
  • Oral injection: most common (destroyed by stomach acid and enzymes)
  • Sublingual administration (beneath the tongue - absorbed through blood capillaries)
  • Intrarectal-avoids stomach
  • Inhalation- very rapid
  • Topical administration - patches
  • Intracerebral - direct to brain (cerebral ventricle)
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5
Q

Blood brain barrier

A
  • Capillaries in the body have gaps that permit the free passage of substances
  • In the brain, they are tightly joined making them selectively permeable so only lipid-soluble substances can pass through e.g. heroin
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6
Q

Tolerance

A

-Overtime, repeated use of a drug will lead to tolerance which decreases the effectiveness of a drug so more is needed to produce the same effect
-If drug is withheld withdrawal symptoms may be experienced.
Tolerance is the bodies deference of its optimal functioning value
-The body produces opposite effects of the drug to compensate for loss of the optimal value
-This is also the cause of withdrawal symptoms as after the drug is removed the body still works in the opposite way

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7
Q

Effects of tolerance

A
  • Decreases the amount and affinity of receptors preventing ion channels opening (ionotropic or metabotropic)
  • in drugs with two action sites, one may function normally and the other may reach tolerance
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8
Q

Sensitisation

A
  • Opposite of tolerance

- Drug produces larger and larger effects over time

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9
Q

Agonist

A
  • Drugs that facilitate the inhibitory or excitatory effect of a neurotransmitter
  • Drug acts as a precursor
  • Stimulates the release of NT
  • Stimulates postsynaptic receptors
  • Blocks re-uptake or auto-receptors to increase synthesis/release of NT
  • Inactivates enzymes
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10
Q

Antagonist

A
  • Drugs that reduce the inhibitory or excitaortory effect of a neurotransmitter
  • Inhibits storage, synthesis and release of NT
  • Inhibits auto receptors
  • blocks postsynaptic receptors
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11
Q

Synaptic transmission

A

1-NT is synthesized in terminal button (by presynaptic auto receptors)
2-Axon is fired
3-Calcium dependent ion channels open (in the presynaptic membrane)
4-NT is released into synaptic cleft by calcium
5-NT binds to postsynaptic receptors causing ion channels to open (changes the electrical potential) causing hyperpolarisation (inhibition) or depolarization (excitation)
6-Excess NT is returned ( transporter proteins) or destroyed (enzymes)

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12
Q

Biological psychology

A
  • Studies the biological basis of human and non-human behaviour
  • hormones, behavioral genetics, neuroscience, typical atypical neuropsychology, comparative and evolutionary psychology
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13
Q

Importance of studying drugs and alcohol

A

-determine treatments

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14
Q

Types of Neurotransmitters

A
  • Transmit information between neurons
  • Neuromodulators: Modulatory effects on entire circuits of neurons
  • Drugs impact neurotransmitters which causes behaviour change
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15
Q

Drugs that impact lipids

A

-Cannabis: anadamide agonist - impacts memory, reward, vision and auditory processing

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16
Q

Drugs that impact nucleosides

A

-Caffeine: adenosine antagonist - abundance can cause inhibition and sleepiness

17
Q

Drugs that impact soluble gases

A

-Viagra: reduces destruction of nitric oxide which sustains erection (Agonist)

18
Q

Acetylcholine

A

-Necessary for all muscular movement

19
Q

Acetylcholine Antagonist

A
  • Botulinum toxin: stimulates release of ACh causing paralysis and suffocation
  • Curare: blocks postsynaptic receptor causing paralysis
20
Q

Acetylcholine agonist

A
  • Black widow venom: stimulates release of ACh causing muscle pain and spasms
  • Nicotine: stimulates postsynaptic receptors
21
Q

Dopamine systems

A
  • Nigrostriatal system: Important for voluntary movement, degeneration causes Parkinson’s
  • Mesolimbic system: dopamine triggers the reward system
22
Q

Nigrostriatal system agonist

A

-L-DOPA increases dopamine release as dopamine cannot cross the BBB

23
Q

Mesolimbic system agonist

A
  • Cocaine blocks dopamine reuptake from synaptic cleft - causing euphoria
  • Amphetamine: Causes transporters to run in reverse - pumping dopamine into synaptic cleft (Methylphenidate used to treat ADHD)
24
Q

Mesolimbic system antagonist

A

-Chlorpromazine release positive symptoms of schizophrenia (hallucinations and delusions) by inhibiting synthesis/release of dopamine

25
Q

Serotonin

A

-Regulation of mood, control of eating sleep and arousal, regulation of pain

26
Q

Serotonin agonist

A
  • Prozac (SSRI): inhibits the reuptake of serotonin to treat anxiety and OCD
  • Hallucinogens: LSD, mushrooms and MDMA - hallucinations and excitation
27
Q

Glutamate

A

-Excitatory neurotransmitter with a role in synaptic plasticity and memory, high In people with depression.

28
Q

NMDA (Glutamate receptor) antagonists

A
  • PCP: anesthetic - hallucinations
  • Alcohol: withdrawal can cause seizures
  • Ketamine: Rapid antidepressant effects - Emergency treatment for those considering suicide, successful on 71% of patients (20% showed remission), long term use = hallucinations
29
Q

GABA

A

-Abnormal levels can cause epilepsy as GABA prevents the brain firing uncontrollably

30
Q

GABA agonists (tranquilizing)

A
  • Benzodiazepines: Valium useful as anxiolytics
  • Barbiturates: Lethal injection
  • Alcohol: Agonist
31
Q

Endogenous opiods

A

-Activates systems to produce analgesia and dopamine and inhibits flight response

32
Q

Opiod agonist

A

-Activate reward system: Heroin, morphine and opium (addictive)

33
Q

Opiod antagonist

A

-Naloxone - reverses heroin overdose

34
Q

amino acids, peptides, monamines

A
  • Aminoactids: glutamate and GABA
  • Peptides: endogenous opiods
  • Monamines: Dopamine and serotonin