Week 2 Flashcards
Central Nervous System (CNS)
- Brain
- Spinal cord
Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)
-All nervous tissue outside the CNS including sensory and motor neurons
Basic functions of the Nervous System
-Recognize, processing, and reacting to changes in the internal and external environment
Adrenergic response
- Activated under stress
- Fight or flight response
- Ready the body for an immediate response to a potential threat
Cholinergic response
- Activated under non-stressful conditions
- Rest-and-digest
- Digestive process promoted: heart rate and blood pressure decline
Autonomic Nervous System: Sympathetic and Parasympathetic Divisions
- Produce opposite effects
- Body tries to maintain proper balance of the two (homeostasis)
- Don’t always produce opposite effects
Synapse
- Juncture of neurons
- Includes a pre and post ganglionic neuron
5 Mechanisms by which drugs can affect synaptic transmission
- Affect the synthesis of the neurotransmitter in the pre-synaptic nerve
- Prevent storage of the neurotransmitter in the vesicles within the pre-synaptic nerve
- Influence release of the neurotransmitter from the pre-synaptic nerve
- Prevent the normal destruction or repute of the neurotransmitter
- Bind to the receptor site on the postsynaptic target tissue
Primary Neurotransmitters of the Autonomic Nervous System
- Norepinephrine
- Acetylcholine
Norepinephrine
- Released by most postganglionic nerves
- Class of agents called catecholamines
- Adrenergic receptors
Acetylcholine
- Released by cholinergic nerves
- 2 types: Muscarinic and Nicotinic receptors
Norepinephrine is synthesized…..
- In the nerve terminal
- Requires amino acid phenylalanine and tyrosine
- Can be renewed, recycled, and reused
Acetylcholine is synthesized…..
- In persynaptic nerve terminal from choline and coenzyme A
- In the synaptic cleft is rapidly destroyed by acetycholinesterase
Cholinergic receptors of Ach
- Nicotinic
- Muscarinic
Nicotinic
- In sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions
- -Stimulate smooth muscle and gland secretion
Muscarinic
- In parasympathetic target organs except the heart
- Stimulates smooth muscle and gland secretions
2 types of Adrenergic receptors
- Alpha
- Beta
Seizures
- Abnormal or uncontrolled neuronal discharges in the brain
- Affects consciousness, motor activity, sensation
- Treated with Anti Epileptic Drugs (AED)