Neuropharmacology Exam 1

Clearance (CL)

How the body eliminates a drug. Calculated as CL = Rate of elimination / Concentration of drug.

Volume of Distribution (Vd)

Space required to contain a drug at blood concentration. Formula: Vd = Amount of drug in body / Plasma drug concentration.

Half-Life (t½)

Time required for drug concentration in plasma to decrease by 50%.

Therapeutic Window

Range between drug’s effective and toxic concentrations.

First-Order Kinetics

Constant fraction of drug eliminated over time.

Zero-Order Kinetics

Constant amount eliminated, regardless of concentration (e.g., alcohol).

Affinity (Kd)

Strength of drug binding to target. Lower Kd = higher affinity.

Efficacy

Drug’s ability to produce a maximum effect.

Potency

Dose required to achieve a specific effect.

Agonist

Mimics endogenous ligands (e.g., morphine).

Antagonist

Blocks receptor activity (e.g., naloxone).

Partial Agonist

Produces a partial effect compared to full agonists (e.g., buprenorphine).

Inverse Agonist

Suppresses baseline receptor activity.

Optogenetics

Uses light-activated ion channels for neuron-specific activation.

CRISPR

Genome-editing for disease modeling and therapeutic interventions.

Calcium (Ca2+)

Ion that initiates neurotransmitter release at the synaptic cleft.

Glutamate

An excitatory neurotransmitter.

GABA

An inhibitory neurotransmitter.

Astrocytes

Support neuronal migration and blood-brain barrier (BBB) formation.

Oligodendrocytes

Myelinate CNS axons.

Schwann Cells

Myelinate PNS axons.

Microglia

CNS immune cells acting as scavengers, involved in neuroinflammation and repair.

Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB)

Tight endothelial junctions that regulate brain’s extracellular environment.

Resting membrane potential

~−70 mV, maintained by K+ ion permeability.

Action potential

Triggered by sodium influx and terminated by potassium efflux.

Nernst Equation

Calculates equilibrium potential for ions; Formula: Em = 58 log ([Ion]out / [Ion]in).

VGLs

Voltage-Gated Ion Channels; respond to voltage changes, enabling ion flow.

Protein Kinase A (PKA)

Activated by cAMP, plays a role in cellular signaling.

Phospholipase C (PLC)

Cleaves PIP2 to produce DAG and IP3, leading to PKC activation and Ca2+ release.

Nitric Oxide (NO)

Acts as a vasodilator, regulating blood pressure.

Receptor Tyrosine Kinases (RTKs)

Membrane-bound receptors that activate intracellular signaling pathways in response to growth factors.

Acetylcholinesterase

Enzyme that breaks down acetylcholine in the synaptic cleft.

Benzodiazepines

Drugs that enhance GABA-A receptor activity, increasing inhibitory signaling in the brain.