psychopharmacology midterm

Urine is the most important route for drug elimination.

True

Drug concentration does not affect drug absorption.

False

The blood-brain barrier is impermeable.

False

Alcohol follows zero-order kinetics.

True

Illicit drugs are considered teratogens, whereas therapeutic drugs are not.

False

A molecule that binds to a receptor with some selectivity is known as a

Ligand

What is the term for the combination of two drugs producing effects greater than the sum of their individual effects?

Potentiation

Tolerance is reversible.

True

Chronic drug use cannot cause sensitization.

False

The amount of drug necessary to produce a specific effect is known as its

Potency

Glutamate and GABA fall into which category of NTs?

Amino Acids

Glutamate is made from GABA.

False; GABA is made from glutamate

Glutamate and GABA both have ionotropic and metabotropic receptor subtypes.

True

Glutamate is _________________.

Excitatory

GABA is _________________.

Inhibitory

Which nervous system is known for the "fight-or-flight" response?

Sympathetic

Rat brains have no similarities to human brains.

False

The somatic nervous system is split into two branches.

False

The autonomic nervous system is split into two branches.

True; sympathetic and parasympathetic

Which nerves serve primarily the head and neck?

Cranial

The peripheral nervous system consists of the nerves in the brain and spinal cord.

False

The central nervous system consists of the nerves in the brain and spinal cord.

True

Which nervous system consists of the nerves in the brain and spinal cord?

CNS

Which NT is not a catecholamine?

Serotonin

Over 95% of consumed tryptophan is metabolized into 5-HT.

False; over 95% is NOT metabolized into 5-HT.

Both catecholamines and serotonin are affected by reserpine.

True

All adrenergic and serotonergic receptors are ionotropic.

False

Not all adrenergic and serotonergic receptors are ionotropic.

True

Which dopaminergic pathway facilitates voluntary movement?

Nigrostriatal

A receptor for the same NT released by that neuron is known as

Autoreceptor

Hormones are released into the bloodstream.

True

A substance cannot be both an NT and a hormone.

False

A substance can be both an NT and a hormone.

True

Which receptor has a single pore/channel?

Ionotropic

Metabotropic receptors have a single pore/channel.

False

Ionotropic receptors work very rapidly while metabotropic receptors work slower.

True

The elevated-plus maze measures

anxiety

80% of new drugs being tested are approved by the FDA.

False; 80% are denied

Stereotaxic surgery is done on living organisms.

True

Animal tests with high _______ validity closely resemble tests used on humans.

Face

The drug self-administration method measures

potential drug abuse

What type of cell provides metabolic support, protection, and insulation?

Glial Cells

The cell body is also known as the

Soma

Breaks in the myelin sheath, where action potentials are regenerated, are known as

Nodes of Ranvier

This type of glial cell myelinates nerves in the brain and spinal cord.

Oligodendroglia

Action potentials last about 1 millisecond.

True

The amount of drug in the blood that is free to bind at specific target sites​ is known as

Bioavailability

Which method of administration goes directly into the bloodstream?

Intravenous

Which method of administration bypasses the blood-brain barrier?

Epidural

Participants in double blind experiments know if they are receiving a placebo or not.

False

An individual's present mood and previous drug taking experience are examples of

nonspecific drug effects

Myasthenia gravis is a condition where there is too little ACh at the muscles.

True

All cholinergic receptors are ionotropic.

False

What is botulism toxin commonly used for?

Cosmetic Procedures

Teratogens

substance that leads to developmental abnormalities or birth defects

First-Pass Metabolism

the rapid uptake and metabolism of an agent into inactive compounds by the liver

Drug Excretion

elimination of a drug from the body, primarily through urine; breath, saliva, sweat, breast milk, feces can excrete too; primary organ is the kidneys

Pharmacokinetics

movement of drugs in the body that contribute to bioavailability

Pharmacodynamics

branch of pharmacology concerned with the effects of drugs and the mechanism of their action

Potentiation

increased potency created by two drugs acting together

Therapeutic Index

dose-response curve used to calculate drug safety; basically, the threshold between whether a drug is helpful or hurtful

Tolerance

regular use of the same dose of a drug requires the user to take larger and larger doses before experiencing the drug's desired effect

State-Dependent Learning

Depot Binding

drug binding to an inactive site; cannot reach active sites or be metabolized by liver

Placebos

Dosage that contains no active ingredients but may have psychological effects.

Nuclei

Control center of the cell

Tracts

bundles of axons in the CNS

Ganglion

collection of nerve cell bodies in the peripheral nervous system

Nerves

bundled axons that form neural "cables" connecting the central nervous system with muscles, glands, and organs

Limbic System

neural system (including the hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus) associated with emotions and drives.

Nodes of Ranvier

breaks in the myelin sheath where the axon is bare to extracellular fluid

Schwann Cells

dedicated to a single neuron; regenerate axons when damaged

Oligodendrocytes

send out arms that wrap around many different axons to produce segments of myelin sheath; do NOT provide nerve growth factors when axon is damaged

Astrocytes

intertwine with neurons to provide structural support; help maintain ionic environment around neuron; take up excess neurochemicals that might damage cells

Microglia

act as scavengers that collect at sites of neuron damage to remove dying cells; primary source of immune response in CNS; causes inflammation reaction that occurs after brain damage

Action Potential

the rapid change in membrane potential that is propagated down the length of the axon

Hyperpolarization

inhibitory; change in membrane potential making the inside of the cell more negative relative to the resting potential, reducing the likelihood that the cell will fire an AP

Depolarization

excitatory; change in membrane potential making the inside of the cell more positive, increasing the likelihood that the cell will have an AP

Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials

depolarizations of a postsynaptic neuron that results from NTs binding to specific receptors that open ion channels; move the membrane potential closer to firing threshold but do not guarantee an AP

Inhibitory Postsynaptic Potentials

hyperpolarizing responses of a postsynaptic cell resulting from NT-mediated ion channel opening; brings membrane potential farther from firing threshold, lessening chance of AP occurring

Lidocaine

local anesthetic; impairs axonal conduction by blocking voltage-gated Na+ channels; if the channels can't open, action potential can't occur, meaning pain signals can't reach the brain

Neurotransmitters

chemical messengers that cross the synaptic cleft between pre and postsynaptic cells; stored in synaptic vesicles

Monoamines

derived from amino acids

Amino acids

building blocks of proteins; other metabolic roles

Synaptic vesicles

in axon terminals; filled with NT; main source of transmitter release

Active zones

sites of immediate NT release

Docking

cluster of proteins readies the vesicle for exocytosis and opens Ca2+ channels

Exocytosis

fusion of vesicle membrane with axon terminal membrane, exposing inside of vesicle to outside of cell; open vesicle allows molecules to diffuse into synaptic cleft

Hormones

chemical substances released into the bloodstream; secreted by endocrine glands

Radial Arm Maze

measures spatial memory

Elevated-Plus Maze

measures anxiety

Tail-Flick Test

measures reduced pain tolerance

Delayed-Response Task

tests working memory

Inactivation of Catecholamines

enzymatic breakdown by MAOs and COMTs to prevent excessive NT accumulation

Norepinephrine

catecholamine; provided by locus coeruleus; role in sympathetic NS; secreted by adrenal glands as a hormone

Dopamine

catecholamine; key role in motor function, behavioral regulation and rewards

Parkinson's Disease

treated by L-DOPA and COMT inhibitors or apomorphine (dopamine agonist); occurs in nigrostriatal tract due to a massive loss of dopaminergic neurons

Striatum

nigrostriatal pathway; involved in learning, habituation, memory, attention, motivation, emotion, and volitional behavior

Ventral Tegmental Area

a portion of the midbrain in which the dopaminergic system originates

Locus Coeruleus

sends fibers to almost all areas of the forebrain & provides early all of the norepinephrine in the cortex, limbic system, thalamus, hypothalamus, cerebellum, and spinal cord