Psychopharmacology Flashcards
What is psychopharmacology?
Study of substances that can influence the brain and behaviour
What are psychoactive drugs?
Compound drugs that are not natural to the body that can produce a psychological effect
What psychological components do these drugs effect?
Mood, sensation, thinking and behaviour
How do psychoactive drugs alter behaviour?
They act on neurotransmitters in different ways
What is pharmacokinetics?
Is the study of how the body interact with administer substances for the entire duration of exposure
What does pharmacokinetics focus on?
Considers how the body handles and eliminates the drug
Does it matter how drugs are administered?
No because they all need to cross biological membranes (mostly lipids)
What changes depending on the way the drug is administered?
How much of the drug reaches the target site and how quickly it has an effect
What is the name for administering drugs orally or through the nose?
Buccal admininstration
What does trans-dermal method of administration mean?
Skin patches, drug is administered through patches on the skin
What is the process of absorption of the Buccal method?
Dissolves in the stomach fluid and pass through the stomach wall to reach the blood capillaries
When are most drugs, administered through the buccal method, absorbed?
They are not fully absorbed until they hit the small intestines.
Drugs that are orally administered have to be resilient to what?
Stomach acid and enzymes, enzymes in the liver that may alter the effects of the drugs
What are other methods of drug administration?
IV, Inhalation, Tropic and trans-dermal
What are the pro’s and cons of IV drug administration?
Pro- rapid and accurate, depending on the injecting method it can be more slow and even dispersion of the drug (intramuscular injection)
Cons- issues with street drugs
What are the pros and cons of inhalation drug administration?
Pro- Rapid action of absorption
con- Method can cause damage to the lungs
What is the time course of drugs impacted by?
The dose of the drugs, metabolising and rate of elimination
In which does the absorption of the drug travel?
Movement is always high to low concentration
What does BBB stand for?
Blood brain barrier ( a network of blood vessels and cells)
What is the function of the blood brain barrier?
Limit the exchange of substances between the blood and the brain
Is the BBB impermeable?
No but it is selectively permeable
What else does the BBB do ? hint diffusion
Reduced diffusion of water soluble molecules
Is the BBB completely gaurded?
It is not complete, some areas are not protected
What is the chemical trigger zone in the brain stem?
The vomiting centre causes you to vomit if it detects a toxic substance
What is a unique barrier to women?
The placental barrier?
How are water soluble drugs excreted?
Via urine
How are most fat soluble drugs excreted?
The liver contains different enzymes which change the substance to water soluble and then excrete it
What drug is excreted via the lungs?
Alcohol
What drugs are excreted through sweat?
Alcohol and cocaine
How is drug clearance rate measured?
Measured in half-life
What is the half life of Marijuana (THC) ?
3-4 days
What can be the longest half life of THC?
10-12 days
What is the half life of Methamphetamine?
12 hours
How long can methamphetamine be detected for?
1-4 days after use
What is the half-life of cocaine?
1 hour
How long can cocaine be detected for?
Up to 4 days of use
What is the half life of heroin?
3-8 MINUTES
What is heroin broken down into?
Morphine
What is the half-life of morphine?
3.6 hours
How long can morphine be detected for?
Up to 4 days of use
What is the half-life of GHB?
20-53 minutes
What percentage of GHB will remain in the system after 2 hours?
5%
What are Pharmacodynamics?
The effects that drugs have on the body
What are agonists?
Substances that bind to the same receptors as a neurotransmitter and have a similar effect on neuronal function as that neurotransmitter
What is an antagonist?
Substances that bind to a receptor site but do not have any physiological effects
What are the 5 categories of drugs?
CNS stimulators, CNS depressants, Analgesics, Hallucinogens, psychotherapeutics
What are 3 examples of the CNS stimulant drugs?
Amphetamine, cocaine, nicotine
What 2 examples of CNS depressants?
Alcohol and Barbiturates
What are the examples of analgesics?
Codeine and Morphine
What is an example of hallucinogens?
LSD
Give two examples of psychotherapeutics?
Prozac and Thorazine (Chlorpromazine)
What effect do stimulants have physiologically?
Increase activity, alertness and mood
What 3 substances have similar effects on the neurotransmitter Dopamine?
Caffeine, nicotine and cocaine
What physiological effects do depressants have?
Reduce arousal and stimulation
How do depressants reduce arousal?
They affect the CNS by slowing down the messages between the brain and the body
What does excessive alcohol consumption lead to?
Leads to respiratory depression, seizures and potential death
What is Valium’s chemical name?
Benzodiazepine
What is benzodiazepine used to treat?
Moderate to severe anxiety, panic attacks and epileptic seizures
What are the side effects of valium?
Slow brain function, slowed pulse and breathing, poor concentration, confusion, fatigue and slurred speech
What is another word for Opioid drugs?
Narcotic Analgesics
What physiological effects do opioid drugs have?
Depressant qualities but their main effect is to reduce pain
What is the body’s natural pain killer?
Endorphins
What is the difference between Opiates and Opioids?
They are essentially the same, some are pure, some are synthetic
What is a direct agonist?
It resembles the brain’s natural neurotransmitters enough to activate receptor sites
What are indirect agonists?
Enhances the release or effect of a specific neurotransmitter
What are antagonists?
They compete with neurotransmitters for binding on the receptor site but do not cause any physiological changes or disruptiosn
What are the effects of Psychedelics?
Effect on perceptual and conscious processing, can cause distortion, and can be natural or synthetic
What is the hallucinogenic structure of LSD similar to?
Serotonin
What is thought to the be the cause of hallucinations cause by hallucinogens?
The shared binding of the 5-HT (2A) receptor type is responsible for the hallucinations particularly in the prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortex
What is MDMA?
Acts as both a stimulant and psychedelic, producing an energizing effect, distortions in time and perception and enhanced enjoyment of tactile experiences
What three neurotransmitters does MDMA enhance the activity of ?
Serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine
What is the side effect of MDMA releasing large amounts of serotonin?
Causes the brain to become significantly depleted of serotonin
What did research on rodents on MDMA suggest?
MDMA can damage nerve cells that contain serotonin
What did research on MDMA exposed primates suggest?
Showed reduced serotonergic neurons 7 years later suggesting implicating that MDMA can have long lasting effects
What are the 3 psychological disorders that are treatable by drugs?
Anxiety, Depression and Schizophrenia
What is anxiety?
Unsettling feeling of concern or worry, multiple neurotransmitters implicated
What are the treatments for anxiety?
Benzodiazepines, anticonvulsants, SSRI’s
What is depression caused by?
A decrease in serotonergic and noradrenergic neurotransmission
What are the drug treatments for depression?
SSRI’s, SNRI’s, atypical anti-depressants, tricyclics, MOAI’s
What is the etiology of schizophrenia?
Abnormal dopamine function contributes to symptoms
What are the treatment methods for schizophrenia?
Anti-psychotic drugs
