Psychopharmacology

Question 1

What are the four types of psycho treatment?

Answer 1

Chemical
Electrical Stimulation
Structural rearrangement
Talking therapies

Question 2

What are the examples of enzyme-targeting drugs?

Answer 2

• Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs)  Anxiety and depression
• Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors  Dementia (Cholinergic deficiency)
• Lithium  Inhibits glycogen synthase kinase for mood stability.

Question 3

What are monoamine oxidase inhibitors used for?

Answer 3

Anxiety and depression

Question 4

What are acetylcholinesterase inhibitors used for?

Answer 4

Dementia (cholingeric deficiency)

Question 5

What is lithium used for?

Answer 5

Mood stability

Question 6

What is the effect of lithium on mood stability?

Answer 6

Inhibits glycogen synthease kinase

Question 7

What neurotransmitter blocker is used for schizoprehnia?

Answer 7

Dopamine-receptor blockers

Question 8

Which neurotransmitter blocker is used for depression?

Answer 8

Serotonin receptor subtype antagonists

Question 9

Which neurotransmitter blocker is used for sleep disorders?

Answer 9

Histamine receptor antagonist

Question 10

What is benzodiazepines used for?

Answer 10

Enhances GABA for sleep disorders

Question 11

What is guanfacine?

Answer 11

Enhances noradrenaline for ADHD

Question 12

What are reuptake inhibitors?

Answer 12

Inhibition of reuptake transporters subsequently increases the concentration of the neurotransmitter within the synaptic cleft, thus increasing the effect exerted onto the post-synaptic receptor sites.

Question 13

What is the mechanism of citalopram?

Answer 13

Enhances serotonin for depression and anxiety

Question 14

What is the mechanism of desipramine?

Answer 14

Enhances noradnreline for depression

Question 15

What is the mechanism of methylphendiate?

Answer 15

Enhances dopamine for ADHD.

Question 16

What effect does amphetamines have?

Answer 16

Enhance the release of neurotransmitter.

Question 17

What are auto-receptors in a serotoninergic synapse?

Answer 17

• Auto-receptors regulate the release of serotonin by monitoring the concentration of the neurotransmitter within the synaptic cleft.

Question 18

Which two drugs are used for epilepsy and mood stabilisation?

Answer 18

• Sodium valproate

* Carbamazepine

Question 19

What is the mechanism of action for sodium valproate, an ion-channel targeting drug?

Answer 19

Inhibiting voltage-gated sodium channels reduces the likelihood for neuronal depolarization – an action potential is downregulated.
• Prevents the process of recruiting neurons in an epileptic focus to produce a seizure.
• Drugs stabilize mood in bipolar disorder – preventing recurrent cyclical activity.

Question 20

What channel does gabapentin and pregablin act upon?

Answer 20

Calcium channels

Question 21

Which neurotransmitter is implicated in excitatory neurons?

Answer 21

Glutamate

Question 22

Which neurotransmitter is implicated in inhibitory neurones?

Answer 22

GABA

Question 23

Which neurotransmitter is in excess in epilepsy?

Answer 23

Glutamate

Question 24

Which neurotransmitter is deficient in anxiety?

Answer 24

GABA

Question 25

Which neurotransmitter is deficient in depression?

Answer 25

5-HT

Question 26

Which neurotransmitter is in excess in psychosis?

Answer 26

Dopamine

Question 27

Which neurotransmitter is in excess in nightmares?

Answer 27

Noradrenaline

Question 28

Which neurotransmitter is deficient in impaired memory/dementia?

Answer 28

Acetylcholine

Question 29

What is a partial agonist?

Answer 29

Have a lower max efficacy than complete agonsits

Question 30

What is the advantage to using partial agonists?

Answer 30

They're safer to use

Question 31

What is an inverse agonist?

Answer 31

An inverse agonist binds to the same receptor site as that as an agonist, however, induces a pharmacological response opposite to that of the agonist. • GABA – pro-cognitive (GABA exhibits an inhibitory effect, whereas an inverse agonist will result in excitatory activity – hippocampus for dementia), • Histamine – increased attention – ADHD.

Question 32

What are three main GABA-A receptor subtypes?

Answer 32

Alpha-1 receptors Alpha-2 receptors Alpha-5 receptors

Question 33

What are Alpha-1 GABA-A receptors?

Answer 33

Regulate inhibition from the GABA interneurons onto the pyramidal cells.

Question 34

What are alpha-2 GABA-A receptors?

Answer 34

Control the output of the pyramidal cells consolidated on the proximal segments (where inhibition can contain the overall activity).

Question 35

What are alpha-5 GABA-A receptors?

Answer 35

Produce tonic activity

Question 36

What is allosteric modulation?

Answer 36

Some drugs at on the same site as the endogenous neurotransmitter

Question 37

What is the effect of activated GABA-A receptors?

Answer 37

* GABA binds to the GABA receptor = orthosteric site. | * Binding action enhances chloride ion conductance --> Inhibits neuron

Question 38

What are positive allosteric modulators?

Answer 38

Benzodiazepines – barbiturates – alcohol – neurosteroids • Drugs behave on allosteric sites on the same protein complex • Enhance the action of GABA – sedation (Positive allosteric modulators).