Treatment: Antidepressant Drugs Flashcards
what are the 4 drug classes?
SSRI’s, TCAs, MAOIs, Novel or Duel
these classes of drugs normalize levels of what in the brain?
serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine, thus, their neurotransmission at the synapse
what is synaptic pruning?
when connections between nerve cells are not used, nerve cells atrophy and volume decreases
why does antidepressant response take days to weeks?
bc it requires sufficient time for the levels of BDNF to gradually rise an exert synaptic and nerve cell sprouting
antidepressants increase what?
BDNF and effect synaptic plasticity by increasing the activity of neurotransmitters in the synapse
- may also increase synaptic sprouting of rewiring of connections which are dysregulated at the synapse
when do the clinical antidepressant effects start to occur?
only after chronic admin of days to weeks
when Tx begins, what happens with connections?
they are used and formed and Bain volume in the areas implicated in depression increase