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12 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Define neuropharmacology. |
Neuropharmacology can be defined as the study of drugs that alter processes controlled by the central nervous system. |
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List the 2 categories of neuropharmacologic agents. |
1. PNS drugs 2. CNS drugs |
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Why is our understanding of P.N.S. drugs much clearer than our understanding of C.N.S. drugs? |
Because the P.N.S. IS LESS COMPLEX THAN THE C.N.S. and more accessible to experimentation. |
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What are the action sites for neurophamacologic agents? |
1. Synapse 2. Axon |
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To influence a process under neuronal control, what activities do the drugs alter? |
1. Axonal conduction 2. Synaptic transmission |
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How do the majority of neuroopharmacolgic agents act? |
Most neuropharmacologic agents act by altering the synaptic transmission. |
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Why do neurophamacolgic drugs normally target synaptic transmission? |
Drugs normally target synaptic transmission because it produces effects that are more selective than those produced by drugs that alter axonal conduction. |
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What characteristic of axonal conduction make the effects of drugs less selective? |
Because the process of conduction an impulse along an axon i essentially the same in all neurons, a drug that alters that conduction will affect all the nerves to which it has access. |
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What drugs work by altering or decreasing axonal conduction. |
Local anesthetics work by decreasing axonal conduction. |
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Why can drugs that affect synaptic transmission create more selective effects? |
Because synapses differ from one another. Synapses at different sites employ different transmitters and the body employs more than one type of receptor. |
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What do w e alter by using a drug that targets a specific type of neurotransmitter or receptor? |
W alter one neuronally regulated process while leaving most others unchanged. |
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What does the ability of a neuron to influence the behavior of another cell depend on? |
The ability of that neuron to alter receptor activity on the target cell |
