CMN 548 -STUDY GUIDE 5 EXAM PRACTICE
QUESTIONS WITH VERIFIED ANSWERS
What is the primary action of psychiatric drugs on neurotransmitters?
They either mimic, block, or modify the actions of neurotransmitters by binding to their
receptors.
Where are receptors for neurotransmitters located?
On the plasma membrane or intracellularly.
What types of receptors are most relevant to drugs?
Transmembrane molecules, which can be ionotropic (ion channels) or metabotropic (G protein-
coupled).
What is the significance of pharmacokinetics in psychopharmacology?
It describes and predicts the time course of drug concentrations in different parts of the body and
explains drug interactions.
What are drug-drug interactions?
Situations where one drug affects the concentration or activity of another drug.
What is pharmacogenetics?
The study of why patients differ in their metabolism of drugs, often due to genetic differences.
What defines remission in psychiatric treatment?
An absolute score of 7 or less on the HAMD or 10 or less on the MADRS.
What is the general rule regarding withdrawal symptoms?
The more abruptly a drug is stopped and the shorter its elimination half-life, the more likely
significant withdrawal symptoms will occur.
Which drugs are most often associated with distressing withdrawal symptoms?
Opiates and sedative-hypnotics.
What is autoinhibition in drug metabolism?
A dose-dependent inhibition of a drug's own metabolism, leading to increased plasma
concentrations.
What is the effect of sustained-release drugs on withdrawal symptoms?
, They reduce dosing frequency but do not necessarily reduce the rate of fall-off in plasma
concentrations or severity of withdrawal symptoms.
What is expectation bias in drug trials?
A cognitive bias where expectations of staff or subjects may influence the perceived
effectiveness of a drug.
What does regression to the mean refer to in clinical trials?
The tendency for extreme values in measurements to move closer to the mean in subsequent
measurements.
What is personalized medicine?
An approach to develop treatments based on individual genetics rather than a one-size-fits-all
model.
What is an example of personalized medicine in cancer treatment?
HER2 screening for patients with metastatic breast cancer to predict response to trastuzumab
(Herceptin).
How can CYP 450 testing be beneficial in psychopharmacology?
It helps predict drug dosing based on a patient's metabolism and avoid drug-drug interactions.
What are the two basic approaches to personalized medicine?
Tailoring drugs for the individual and identifying genetic susceptibility to disease.
What can gene variant profiles predict in psychopharmacology?
They can predict the efficacy or safety of a drug before it is administered to patients.
What is the role of whole genome sequencing (WGS) in personalized medicine?
It allows for the screening of individual patients for genetic variants that may affect drug
response.
What is the impact of drug interactions on pharmacodynamics?
It describes how drugs affect the biological activities of each other.
What is the significance of identifying variant alleles in psychopharmacology research?
It helps understand how genetic differences alter drug pharmacokinetics and dynamics.
What are the consequences of poor bioavailability in medication?
It can lead to withdrawal symptoms if medication and dosage are not correctly managed.
What is the probability of full remission from OCD with SSRI treatment alone?
QUESTIONS WITH VERIFIED ANSWERS
What is the primary action of psychiatric drugs on neurotransmitters?
They either mimic, block, or modify the actions of neurotransmitters by binding to their
receptors.
Where are receptors for neurotransmitters located?
On the plasma membrane or intracellularly.
What types of receptors are most relevant to drugs?
Transmembrane molecules, which can be ionotropic (ion channels) or metabotropic (G protein-
coupled).
What is the significance of pharmacokinetics in psychopharmacology?
It describes and predicts the time course of drug concentrations in different parts of the body and
explains drug interactions.
What are drug-drug interactions?
Situations where one drug affects the concentration or activity of another drug.
What is pharmacogenetics?
The study of why patients differ in their metabolism of drugs, often due to genetic differences.
What defines remission in psychiatric treatment?
An absolute score of 7 or less on the HAMD or 10 or less on the MADRS.
What is the general rule regarding withdrawal symptoms?
The more abruptly a drug is stopped and the shorter its elimination half-life, the more likely
significant withdrawal symptoms will occur.
Which drugs are most often associated with distressing withdrawal symptoms?
Opiates and sedative-hypnotics.
What is autoinhibition in drug metabolism?
A dose-dependent inhibition of a drug's own metabolism, leading to increased plasma
concentrations.
What is the effect of sustained-release drugs on withdrawal symptoms?
, They reduce dosing frequency but do not necessarily reduce the rate of fall-off in plasma
concentrations or severity of withdrawal symptoms.
What is expectation bias in drug trials?
A cognitive bias where expectations of staff or subjects may influence the perceived
effectiveness of a drug.
What does regression to the mean refer to in clinical trials?
The tendency for extreme values in measurements to move closer to the mean in subsequent
measurements.
What is personalized medicine?
An approach to develop treatments based on individual genetics rather than a one-size-fits-all
model.
What is an example of personalized medicine in cancer treatment?
HER2 screening for patients with metastatic breast cancer to predict response to trastuzumab
(Herceptin).
How can CYP 450 testing be beneficial in psychopharmacology?
It helps predict drug dosing based on a patient's metabolism and avoid drug-drug interactions.
What are the two basic approaches to personalized medicine?
Tailoring drugs for the individual and identifying genetic susceptibility to disease.
What can gene variant profiles predict in psychopharmacology?
They can predict the efficacy or safety of a drug before it is administered to patients.
What is the role of whole genome sequencing (WGS) in personalized medicine?
It allows for the screening of individual patients for genetic variants that may affect drug
response.
What is the impact of drug interactions on pharmacodynamics?
It describes how drugs affect the biological activities of each other.
What is the significance of identifying variant alleles in psychopharmacology research?
It helps understand how genetic differences alter drug pharmacokinetics and dynamics.
What are the consequences of poor bioavailability in medication?
It can lead to withdrawal symptoms if medication and dosage are not correctly managed.
What is the probability of full remission from OCD with SSRI treatment alone?
