Psychopharmacology Flashcards
Translation of extracellular signals into a form that can be interpreted by complex intracellular enzymatic machinery is achieved through a relatively small number of cellular mechanisms. The transmembrane signaling systems that are multicomponent in nature and generate intracellular second messengers define which class of central nervous system (CNS) receptors?
G protein–coupled receptors
The rate-limiting enzyme in serotonin (5-HT) biosynthesis that has been extensively investigated in psychiatric disorders is
Tryptophan hydroxylase
Through the use of more precise molecular cloning and pharmacological and biochemical studies, seven distinct 5-HT receptor families have been identified, many of which contain several subtypes. Which of the 5-HT receptor types is an excitatory ionotropic receptor?
5-HT3
Which of the 5-HT1 receptor subtypes is found in particularly high densities in several limbic structures, as well as on serotonergic neuron cell bodies, where they serve as autoreceptors regulating 5-HT neuronal firing rates?
5-HT1A
The blockade of which of the 5-HT receptors has been implicated in the weight gain induced by certain psychotropic agents?
5-HT2C
Dopamine synthesis requires the transport of which of the amino acids across the blood–brain barrier?
L-tyrosine
Which of the dopamine receptor subtypes is of great psychopharmacological interest because of clozapine’s high affinity for this receptor?
D4 receptor
Which are the two major excitatory amino acids in the central nervous system (CNS)?
Glutamate and aspartate
Where are the majority of dopamine (DA) neurons located in the brain?
substantia nigra
The principal noradrenergic cell group, which has the largest group of norepinephrine (NE)–containing neurons in the mammalian brain, is the
Locus coeruleus
The highest concentration of serotonin (5-HT)–containing neurons in the mammalian brain is found in the
Raphe nuclei of the brain stem
Pyramidal cells, the predominant neurons of the cerebral cortex, utilize what as a neuro-transmitter?
Glutamate.
The projection neurons of the basal ganglia utilize what as a neurotransmitter?
GABA
Deficits in which of the neuropeptides have consistently been linked with Alzheimer’s disease?
Somatostatin. The hypothalamus and limbic regions such as the amygdala and hippocampus have large numbers of somatostatin-containing neurons.
The opening of which of the following ion channels is the mechanism through which GABA decreases neuronal activity?
Chloride.
Classic learned helplessness animal models have a high degree of validity as a model for depression in all of the areas except
Duration. In rats, learned helplessness persists only for several days, whereas depression in humans may last for months.
What neuroendocrine response is well-established in depression?
Overactivity of the HPA axis as manifested by an increase in cortisol secretion
Combat veterans with PTSD showed _____ suppression to dexamethasone challenge.
enhanced
Taking medications with meals will usually decrease the rate of drug absorption, leading to a decreased peak plasma concentration and prolonged time to reach the maximum plasma concentration. For which of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressants does food increase plasma concentra-tions and shorten the time to reach the maximum plasma concentration?
Sertraline.
Which of the cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes is found in high concentrations in the luminal epithelium of the small intestine and leads to extensive presystemic metabolism?
CYP3A4.
Nearly all medications used in clinical psychopharmacology are cleared partially or completely by metabolism, primarily in the liver. Which drugs are an exception?
lithium and gabapentin
What are Phase I clinical trials?
Phase I involves testing multiple doses of a drug for bioavailability, pharmacokinetics, and side effects.
What are Phase II clinical trials?
Phase II studies are dose-finding studies in patients with a given disorder.
What are Phase III trials?
Phase III generally includes pivotal double-blind trials for demonstrating efficacy and safety/tolerability.
What are Phase IV trials?
Phase IV trials, which take place after a drug has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval and is on the market, are conducted to help clarify potential uses of the drug.
Which of the antidepressants is a tetracyclic with a four-ring central structure?
maprotiline (Ludiomil)
Which is the least anticholinergic among the tricyclic and tetracyclic compounds?
Desipramine.
Age-related changes in metabolism vary among tricyclic and tetracyclic compounds. For which of the trycyclics is metabolism relatively unaffected by aging?
nortriptyline and desipramine
A task force of the American Psychiatric Association reviewed a number of studies and recommended
therapeutic dosage ranges for selected tricyclic compounds. Which of the medications has a
recommended plasma level between 50 ng/mL and 150 ng/mL?
Nortriptyline.
All of the tricyclic and tetracyclic compounds are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) for the treatment of depression except
Clomipramine.
Which of the tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) carries the potential risk of neuroleptic malignant syndrome?
the 7-hydroxy metabolite of amoxapine has neuroleptic properties
What activity does fluoxetine have at histamine, adrenergic, and muscarinic sites?
none
Based on norfluoxetine’s half-life, how long would you need to wait, after discontinuing fluoxetine,
before beginning a patient on a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI)?
5 weeks.
What are the FDA-label indications for fluoxetine?
major depressive disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder,
panic disorder, bulimia nervosa, and premenstrual dysphoric disorder
What are the features of serotonin syndrome?
abdominal pain, diarrhea, sweating, fever, tachycardia, elevated blood pressure, altered mental state (e.g., delirium), myoclonus, increased motor activity, irritability, hostility, and mood change
What are the FDA-label indications for sertraline?
major depressive disorder, OCD and pediatric OCD, PTSD, panic disorder, PMDD, and, most recently, social anxiety disorder
Sertraline and other selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) have been associated with instances of hyponatremia and the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone (SIADH) secretion. Which patient population group may be more vulnerable to this condition?
Seniors over 70 years of age
What are the FDA-label indications for paroxetine?
depression, panic disorder, OCD, PTSD, social anxiety disorder, and GAD
Unlike sertraline, paroxetine has a relatively high affinity for which monoamine receptor?
Norepinephrine transporter (NET)
Unlike paroxetine, sertraline has a relatively high affinity for which monoamine receptor?
Dopamine transporter (DAT)
What is a characteristic of paroxetine’s pharmacokinetic profile?
Most potent inhibitor of the CYP2D6 enzyme system of all SSRIs
Paroxetine has been found to be effective in treating depression associated with a number of medical
conditions. In one study, pretreatment with paroxetine was found to prevent induction of depression by
Interferon-α (IFN-α) treatment of malignant melanoma
In preregistration clinical trials, the most common side effect of paroxetine that resulted in patients drop-
ping out of the treatment study was
Nausea.
One possible safety concern in prescribing paroxetine to treat depression in adults is paroxetine’s tendency to
Decrease heart rate variability (HRV). Norepinephrine reuptake–inhibiting antidepressant drugs have been shown to cause further decreases in this electrophysiological variable.
What are fluvoxamine’s active metabolites?
At least 11 products of fluvoxamine hepatic metabolism have been identified, but none are thought to be
pharmacologically active.
Fluvoxamine is a potent inhibitor of the cytochrome P450 (CYP) 1A2 enzyme. A drug whose levels may rise as a result of inhibition of this enzyme by fluvoxamine is
tertiary-amine tricyclic antidepressants (imipramine, amitriptyline, clomipramine), clozapine, tacrine, theophylline, propranolol, and caffeine
Fluvoxamine also inhibits the cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2C19 enzyme. Which important medication is also metabolized by the CYP2C19 isoenzyme?
Warfarin
In postmarketing surveillance of fluvoxamine, the most commonly reported adverse event was
Suicidality (ideation, attempts, completed). The frequency of death while taking fluvoxamine was calculated at 0.9 per 100,000 patients. Suicide, mostly by overdose, was the cause of death in nearly half of these cases.
A possible explanation for the postulated modest superiority of S-citalopram over citalopram on some measures of antidepressant activity is
The R-enantiomer of citalopram may interfere with the activity of the S-enantiomer
Treatment with citalopram was used in the first phase of the Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve
Depression (STAR*D) trial. The primary outcome measure was depression remission, as measured by
two rating scales. What remission rates were reported at study exit for citalopram?
28%–33%
The most common adverse event associated with either citalopram or S-citalopram, as reported in clinical
trials, is
Nausea.
What are 4 irreversible inhibitors of MAO-B?
Phenlzine, Isocarboxazid, Tranylcypromine, Selegiline
Which of the monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) is a nonhydrazine irreversible MAOI that is chemically similar to amphetamine?
Tranylcypromine.
For which of the following monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) is a transdermal patch now available?
Selegiline.
In regard to pharmacological profile, trazodone may be best described as
A mixed serotonergic agonist–antagonist
You start your patient, a 72-year-old man, on trazodone, advising him to take the medication at bedtime.
He calls you the next day to tell you that he was light-headed and dizzy and almost fell when he got out of
bed that morning. Knowing the pharmacological profile of trazodone, you attribute this side effect to which
of the following properties of the drug?
Potent antagonist of postsynaptic α 1 -adrenergic receptors
A relatively rare (1 in 6,000) but dramatic side effect associated with trazodone is
Priapism.
Nefazodone carries a black box warning on its package insert for which of the following risks?
Liver failure.