PSYC 462 - Midterm 1
Pharmacology -
study of the action of drugs and their effects on living organisms
neuropsychopharmacology -
Identifies chemical substances/specific mechanisms that act on the nervous system
to alter behaviour
neuropharmacology -
the study of drug-induced changes in nervous system cell functioning
psychopharmacology -
emphasizes drug-induced changes in behaviour
drug action -
molecular changes produced when a drug binds to a receptor/target
drug effect -
the physiological and psychological results of drug action
what is the difference between drug action and drug effects? -
drug action refers to the molecular mechanisms involved in drug-receptor binding,
drug effects refer to the physiological and psychological effects of the drug action
can the site of drug action and drug effects be different? -
yes
can 2 drugs have similar effects but different sites of action? -
yes
example of how two drugs have the same effect but different action sites -
muscarine stimulates acetylcholine receptors in the eye and morphine stimulates
opiate receptors in the brain, but both cause pupilary constriction
which is easier to measure, drug action or drug effect? -
drug effect
therapeutic effects -
the drug-receptor interaction produces desired physical or behavioural changes
side effects -
and drug effects that are not therapeutic
why do drugs tend to have side effects? -
we take the vast majority of drugs systemically which means that the drug will
bind to any receptor that it can bind to in the body and affect the physiological system of that
cell
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,are the therapeutic effects and side effects of a drug always the same? -
no, it depends what you are using the drug to treat
example of how the therapeutic and side effect of the same drug can change -
amphetamine-like drugs
they decrease sleep and produce a loss of appetite
they can treat narcolepsy or aid in weight loss
example of a drug's therapeutic and side effects -
Risperdal
blocks DA D2 receptors
therapeutic - antipsychotic
side - weight gain
why do so many drugs for psychological disorders have so many side effects? -
when you have a psychological disorder, it's likely that the chemical imballance is
localized in one part of your brain, and that chemical may be normally regulated in other
parts of the brain
drugs don't usually have that level of specificity - they just bind any receptor they can causing
the same effect on their target chemical all over the brain
which is more specific, drug action or drug effects? -
drug action
specific effects -
physiological/biochemical interactions of the drug with the target site in living
tissue
the effect is the same across all living organisms
example of a specific drug effect -
alcohol depresses neural activity
nonspecific effects -
based on the unique characteristics of an individual
what characteristics might influence nonspecific drug effects? -
drug-taking background
mood
expectation of effect
perceptions
example of a nonspecific drug effect -
alcohol can augment pleasant moods or amplify unpleasant ones
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,why might two people who take the same dose of a drug show different reactions? -
nonspecific drug effects
what kind of drug effect is a placebo effect? -
nonspecific effect
placebo effect -
a nonspecific drug effect where an inert compound can produce real physiological
and psychological effects based entirely on expectation
example of a placebo effect -
a group of Parkinsons patients were given a placebo and told it was L-DOPA
researchers still saw an improvement in behavioural symptoms and brain images
increase in DA after taking the placebo
how can we control for the effect of expectation in drug trials? -
give a placebo!
pharmacokinetics -
factors that affect how effective drugs are when administered systemically
pharmacokinetics are a number of factors that contribute to -
bioavailability of a drug
bioavailability -
the amount of drug free to bind at target sites
what five main factors contribute to a drug's bioavailability? -
- route of administration
- absorption/distribution
- binding
- inactivation
- excretion
how does the route of drug administration affect its bioavailability? -
it determines how much drug reaches its site of action and how quickly the drug
effect occurs
a drug with higher bioavailability requires a ___________ dose to observe effects -
lower
how does absorption/distribution of a drug affect its bioavailability? -
- drugs need to get into the bloodstream to hit their targets
- the molecular structure of a drug can affect how quickly it's absorbed into the bloodstream
how does binding affect a drug's bioavailability? -
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, a drug can either bind to the target site or inactive/inert sites
the relative amounts that bind to each affect how much of the drug is affecting the target
how does inactivation of drugs affect their bioavailability? -
this refers to the rate at which the drug is metabolized by enzymes - usually in the
liver
it determines how much drug will make it to target sites and how long it will last in the
system
two factors beyond bioavailability that drug effects depend on -
- how rapidly the drug reaches its target
- frequency/history of prior drug use
how does the speed that it takes for a drug to reach its target affect a drug's effects? -
something that gets into the brain more quickly will have a much more
pronounced effect than one that builds up slowly over time
Why do drug effects depend on prior drug use? -
with repeated drug administration, target sites can become less sensitive to the
effect of the drug
body could also get more effective at metabolizing the drug and break it down more quickly
2 major categories of drug administration -
enteral
parenteral
enteral route of drug administration -
use the gastrointestinal tract
some drugs (like alcohol) are absorbed from the stomach, most others are taken up through
the small intestines
how does enteral drug administration influence the onset of drug action? -
- the effects are usually slow in onset
- they also produce highly variable levels of drug in the bloodstream
most common enteral method of drug administration -
oral
Parenteral drug administration -
drug administered by means other than through the GI tract
examples of parenteral routes -
IV, IM, SQ, intradermal, inhalation, topical, sublingual
what is the most popular route of administration for taking drugs? -
oral administration
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Pharmacology -
study of the action of drugs and their effects on living organisms
neuropsychopharmacology -
Identifies chemical substances/specific mechanisms that act on the nervous system
to alter behaviour
neuropharmacology -
the study of drug-induced changes in nervous system cell functioning
psychopharmacology -
emphasizes drug-induced changes in behaviour
drug action -
molecular changes produced when a drug binds to a receptor/target
drug effect -
the physiological and psychological results of drug action
what is the difference between drug action and drug effects? -
drug action refers to the molecular mechanisms involved in drug-receptor binding,
drug effects refer to the physiological and psychological effects of the drug action
can the site of drug action and drug effects be different? -
yes
can 2 drugs have similar effects but different sites of action? -
yes
example of how two drugs have the same effect but different action sites -
muscarine stimulates acetylcholine receptors in the eye and morphine stimulates
opiate receptors in the brain, but both cause pupilary constriction
which is easier to measure, drug action or drug effect? -
drug effect
therapeutic effects -
the drug-receptor interaction produces desired physical or behavioural changes
side effects -
and drug effects that are not therapeutic
why do drugs tend to have side effects? -
we take the vast majority of drugs systemically which means that the drug will
bind to any receptor that it can bind to in the body and affect the physiological system of that
cell
1|Page
,are the therapeutic effects and side effects of a drug always the same? -
no, it depends what you are using the drug to treat
example of how the therapeutic and side effect of the same drug can change -
amphetamine-like drugs
they decrease sleep and produce a loss of appetite
they can treat narcolepsy or aid in weight loss
example of a drug's therapeutic and side effects -
Risperdal
blocks DA D2 receptors
therapeutic - antipsychotic
side - weight gain
why do so many drugs for psychological disorders have so many side effects? -
when you have a psychological disorder, it's likely that the chemical imballance is
localized in one part of your brain, and that chemical may be normally regulated in other
parts of the brain
drugs don't usually have that level of specificity - they just bind any receptor they can causing
the same effect on their target chemical all over the brain
which is more specific, drug action or drug effects? -
drug action
specific effects -
physiological/biochemical interactions of the drug with the target site in living
tissue
the effect is the same across all living organisms
example of a specific drug effect -
alcohol depresses neural activity
nonspecific effects -
based on the unique characteristics of an individual
what characteristics might influence nonspecific drug effects? -
drug-taking background
mood
expectation of effect
perceptions
example of a nonspecific drug effect -
alcohol can augment pleasant moods or amplify unpleasant ones
2|Page
,why might two people who take the same dose of a drug show different reactions? -
nonspecific drug effects
what kind of drug effect is a placebo effect? -
nonspecific effect
placebo effect -
a nonspecific drug effect where an inert compound can produce real physiological
and psychological effects based entirely on expectation
example of a placebo effect -
a group of Parkinsons patients were given a placebo and told it was L-DOPA
researchers still saw an improvement in behavioural symptoms and brain images
increase in DA after taking the placebo
how can we control for the effect of expectation in drug trials? -
give a placebo!
pharmacokinetics -
factors that affect how effective drugs are when administered systemically
pharmacokinetics are a number of factors that contribute to -
bioavailability of a drug
bioavailability -
the amount of drug free to bind at target sites
what five main factors contribute to a drug's bioavailability? -
- route of administration
- absorption/distribution
- binding
- inactivation
- excretion
how does the route of drug administration affect its bioavailability? -
it determines how much drug reaches its site of action and how quickly the drug
effect occurs
a drug with higher bioavailability requires a ___________ dose to observe effects -
lower
how does absorption/distribution of a drug affect its bioavailability? -
- drugs need to get into the bloodstream to hit their targets
- the molecular structure of a drug can affect how quickly it's absorbed into the bloodstream
how does binding affect a drug's bioavailability? -
3|Page
, a drug can either bind to the target site or inactive/inert sites
the relative amounts that bind to each affect how much of the drug is affecting the target
how does inactivation of drugs affect their bioavailability? -
this refers to the rate at which the drug is metabolized by enzymes - usually in the
liver
it determines how much drug will make it to target sites and how long it will last in the
system
two factors beyond bioavailability that drug effects depend on -
- how rapidly the drug reaches its target
- frequency/history of prior drug use
how does the speed that it takes for a drug to reach its target affect a drug's effects? -
something that gets into the brain more quickly will have a much more
pronounced effect than one that builds up slowly over time
Why do drug effects depend on prior drug use? -
with repeated drug administration, target sites can become less sensitive to the
effect of the drug
body could also get more effective at metabolizing the drug and break it down more quickly
2 major categories of drug administration -
enteral
parenteral
enteral route of drug administration -
use the gastrointestinal tract
some drugs (like alcohol) are absorbed from the stomach, most others are taken up through
the small intestines
how does enteral drug administration influence the onset of drug action? -
- the effects are usually slow in onset
- they also produce highly variable levels of drug in the bloodstream
most common enteral method of drug administration -
oral
Parenteral drug administration -
drug administered by means other than through the GI tract
examples of parenteral routes -
IV, IM, SQ, intradermal, inhalation, topical, sublingual
what is the most popular route of administration for taking drugs? -
oral administration
4|Page
