Pharmacokinetics & Pharmacodynamics
How do absorption, distribution, biotransformation, and excretion interact to determine drug action?
These pharmacokinetic factors interact to determine the bioavailability of a drug (how much and how quickly a drug reaches its target site in the body)
What is a medical treatment (i.e. medication) and treatment intervention (i.e. therapy) that can help wean someone off opioid abuse?
An example of a gold-standard treatment include Suboxone-Naltrexone and Motivational Interviewing (MI)
What general brain region is considered to be the inhibitory "breaks" of the brain
Frontal Lobes
What are some common side effect that lead to the discontinuation of SSRIs?
Increased anxiety at first, insomnia, sexual dysfunction, can cause physical dependence
What mechanism is responsible for the pleasurable and rewarding effects of drugs like cocaine and opioids?
Excitation of midbrain dopamine neurons.
What term describes the mechanism of action of how drug molecules interact with their targets?
Pharmacodynamics
How are opiate drugs usually administered?
Orally, intravenous, epidural, or intrathecal routes (CSF)
Which area of the brain is most associated with the response to a sudden, stressful event like surviving a near death experience?
Amygdala
What would you expect to find in an fMRI of a depressed person?
Increased neural connections in the pathways of the default mode network (DMN).
Describe the process where drugs like amphetamine and methamphetamine cause a release of catecholamines independently of nerve cell firing?
Increases the release of monoamines (e.g., DA, NE, 5-HT) as an indirect agonist of striatal catecholaminergic system
1.Blocks reuptake
2.Taken into pre-synaptic cells via dopamine transporter
3.Releases DA from vesicles
4. Transporter “reverses” and ejects dopamine into synapse
5.Also inhibits MAO
Define Tolerance and Sensitization
Tolerance: Describes the need to administer more of a drug to achieve the same effect after chronic use?
Sensitization (or reverse tolerance): enhancement of drug effects after repeated administration
How do opiates increase reinforcement? (Which midbrain area)?
What is a significant "problem" with using antidepressants to relieve anxiety compared to psychedelics?
They can take 4 to 6 weeks to work, you need to keep taking them, and they don't typically work after one administration
Which neurotransmitters are primarily involved in the reinforcing effects of alcohol?
Dopamine and opioids.
What neurotransmitter system plays a significant role in the regulation of anxiety, arousal, cognition, and the consolidation of emotional memories?
Noradrenergic system
Describe Bioavailability
The amount of drug in the blood that is free to bind at specific target sites
What are the three receptors that opioid drugs target?
μ-receptor, κ-receptor, δ-receptor
(Mew, Kappa, Delta)
Which type of drug is used to diminish the emotional aspects of a traumatic memory in the treatment of PTSD?
β-blockers.
What class of drugs is primarily used for treating major depression?
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).
Describe the role of the brain’s reward circuit and incentive salience in the substance use cycle.
The brain's reward circuit, involving the mesolimbic dopamine system, mediates the reinforcing properties of addictive substances and the craving associated with them.
What are the primary sites for drug metabolism and excretion in the body?
The liver metabolizes drugs, and the kidneys excrete them.
Early pain vs late pain and pain messengers
Early pain is carried by myelinated Aδ neurons
Late pain is carried by unmyelinated C neurons
Describe the pharmacokinetics and side-effect profiles of barbiturates and benzodiazepines.
They increase GABAergic neurotransmission.
Barbiturates and benzodiazepines produce relaxation in small doses but can cause drowsiness, poor motor coordination, and even respiratory depression at higher doses.
Describe the mechanisms of action, therapeutic efficacy, and side-effect profiles of the three major classes of drugs used to treat depression: MAOs, TCAs, and SSRIs/SNRIs.
MAOs inhibit monoamine oxidase, TCAs inhibit norepinephrine and serotonin reuptake, and SSRIs/SNRIs selectively inhibit serotonin reuptake, each with different side-effect profiles and therapeutic efficacy.
What are the properties of long-term potentiation (LTP) and its relationship to learning and memory processes?
LTP involves strengthening synaptic connections through increased receptor activity, particularly glutamate receptors, which enhances learning and memory.