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Psychopharmacology Concepts
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Psychopharmacology Concepts
Psychopharmacology Concepts
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1
Question
What is Psychopharmacology?
Answer
Psychopharmacology is the study of the effects of drugs on the nervous system and behavior.
2
Question
Define 'Drug' in the context of Psychopharmacology.
Answer
A drug is an exogenous chemical not necessary for normal cellular functioning that significantly alters the functions of certain cells of the body when taken in relatively low doses.
3
Question
What are psychoactive drugs?
Answer
Psychoactive drugs are chemicals that alter the functions of cells in the nervous system.
4
Question
What does 'Exogenous' mean?
Answer
Exogenous refers to being produced outside the body, which rules out chemical messengers produced by the body, such as neurotransmitters, neuromodulators, and hormones.
5
Question
What are drug effects?
Answer
Drug effects are changes that can be observed in an individual's physiological processes and behavior.
6
Question
What are sites of action in pharmacology?
Answer
Sites of action are the locations where drug molecules bind with molecules located on or in cells of the body to affect the biochemical processes of those cells.
7
Question
What does pharmacokinetics include?
Answer
Pharmacokinetics includes the steps by which drugs are absorbed, distributed within the body, metabolized, and excreted.
8
Question
What are the four main processes of pharmacokinetics?
Answer
The four main processes of pharmacokinetics are absorption, distribution, metabolization, and excretion.
9
Question
How is a drug absorbed into the body?
Answer
A drug is absorbed into the body based on how it is administered.
10
Question
What is the fastest route of drug administration?
Answer
The fastest route of drug administration is intravenous (IV) injection.
11
Question
What is intraperitoneal (IP) injection?
Answer
Intraperitoneal (IP) injection involves injecting a drug through the abdominal wall into the peritoneal cavity, commonly used to administer drugs to lab animals.
12
Question
Describe intramuscular (IM) injection.
Answer
Intramuscular (IM) injection is made directly into a large muscle, such as the upper arm or thigh, allowing absorption into the bloodstream through capillaries that supply the muscle.
13
Question
What is subcutaneous (SC) injection?
Answer
Subcutaneous (SC) injection is when a drug is injected beneath the skin.
14
Question
What are intracerebral and intracerebroventricular administrations?
Answer
Intracerebral administration involves injecting a very small amount of drug directly into the brain, while intracerebroventricular (ICV) administration involves injecting the drug into the cerebral ventricle for widespread distribution in the brain.
15
Question
What is the primary drawback of IV injections?
Answer
The primary drawback of IV injections is the care and skill they require, as well as the fact that the entire dose reaches the bloodstream at once.
16
Question
What is oral administration of drugs?
Answer
Oral administration is a method where drug molecules tend to reach sites of action slowly as they are absorbed into the blood through the digestive tract.
17
Question
What is first-pass metabolism?
Answer
First-pass metabolism occurs when some drugs undergo metabolization by the liver after being absorbed, which reduces the number of active drug molecules available to produce an effect in the rest of the body.
18
Question
What is sublingual administration?
Answer
Sublingual administration involves placing the drug underneath the tongue, where it is absorbed into the bloodstream through the capillaries that supply the mucous membrane lining the mouth.
19
Question
What is the significance of lipid solubility in drug administration?
Answer
Lipid solubility is important because it determines the ability of fat-based molecules to pass through cell membranes; drugs that are lipid-soluble can more easily enter the brain.
20
Question
What role does the liver play in drug metabolism?
Answer
The liver plays an especially active role in the enzymatic deactivation of drugs.
21
Question
What is tolerance in drug administration?
Answer
Tolerance is when the effects of a drug diminish, requiring larger amounts of the drug for it to be as effective as it once was.
22
Question
What are withdrawal symptoms?
Answer
Withdrawal symptoms are experienced by a person who has developed tolerance for a drug when they suddenly stop taking it, being primarily the opposite of the effects of the drug itself.
23
Question
What is the therapeutic index?
Answer
The therapeutic index is a measure of a drug's margin of safety, obtained by administering varying doses of the drug to a group of lab animals or human volunteers.
24
Question
What is the placebo effect?
Answer
The placebo effect is a response produced by an inactive substance when a person expects it to have a physiological or psychological effect.
25
Question
What are synthetic drugs?
Answer
Synthetic drugs are completely artificial drugs that scientists produce.
26
Question
What are antagonists and agonists?
Answer
Antagonists are drugs that block or inhibit the postsynaptic effects, while agonists are drugs that facilitate postsynaptic effects.
27
Question
What is the order of synaptic events in neurotransmission?
Answer
The order of synaptic events includes neurotransmitter synthesis and storage in synaptic vesicles, vesicle travel to the presynaptic membrane, axon firing, calcium ion entry, neurotransmitter release into the synaptic cleft, binding to postsynaptic receptors, and reuptake or deactivation of neurotransmitters.
28
Question
What are direct agonists and direct antagonists?
Answer
Direct agonists mimic the effects of a neurotransmitter and activate the receptor, while direct antagonists bind to the receptor but block it from being activated.
29
Question
What is the difference between competitive binding and noncompetitive binding?
Answer
Competitive binding occurs when direct agonists and antagonists act on the neurotransmitter binding site, while noncompetitive binding occurs when molecules attach to alternative sites without competing with the neurotransmitter for the same binding site.
30
Question
What are autoreceptors and their role in drug action?
Answer
Autoreceptors are a type of presynaptic receptor that regulates neurotransmitter synthesis and release; drugs that activate autoreceptors generally reduce synaptic communication.