Psychopharmacology & Psychopathology
Lecture 1: Introduction to Psychopharmacology
A history of LySergic acid Diethylamide
- Ergotamine (produced by fungi on rye)
- Ergotism (going crazy)
- Other symptoms: convulsions, gangrene (vasoconstriction= veins that are constricting),
hallucinations
Timeline of LSD:
- 1918: isolation and use of ergotamine
- 1938: synthesis of synthetic LSD-25 by Hoffmann
- 1943: first LSD trip
- 1962: LSD forbidden by law
- 1970’s: Jan Bastiaans: controversial trauma treatment
- 1977: Herman van Praag: we need systematic LSD research
LSD: the mechamism
LSD is primarily a serotonin agonist
Cannabis as a cure of psychological problems?
- Treat sleep and anxiety
- Current treatment: benzodiazepines (valium) → drowsiness and addiction
Cannabis as a cause of psychological problems?
- Chronically cannabis use before the age of 18 causes 8 lower IQ points
How does cannabis work?
- THC: targets CB1 and CB2 receptors → high
- CBD: targets other receptors → pain relieving (helped with Dravet’s syndrome)
- Terpenes (smell) and flavonoids/phenols (taste)
- Synthetic THC bonds more strongly to CB1 and CB2 receptors (be careful)
Novichok: Acetyl-choline-esterase (AChE) inhibitor
- Block AChE, the enzyme that breaks down acetylcholine (so more endogenous
acetylcholine in the brain)
, - Helps with myasthenia gravis (muscle) and Alzheimer's disease
Ritalin: from molecules to behavioral systems
- Helps you focus (for example in ADHD)
Do we grow new neurons after we are born?
- A few, but we mostly only use the ones we already have and change the connections
between them.
- We have a lot at child/adolescence and prune out the ones we do not need at later age
A brief reminder about neurons:
- Interaction between chemical activity and electrical activity (EEG)
- See picture below
,Lecture 2: Modes of Communication
A closer look at the synapse:
- Axo-dendretic (normal)
- Axo-somatic (on the body)
- Axo-axonic (on another axon)
6-10.000 synapses per neuron
500-1000 trillion synapses in your brain
- Synapses from and disappear
- Even axons and dendrites have limited capacity to repair
, Neurons use chemicals to communicate
Anterograde (classic) neurotransmission
Volume conduction
Lecture 1: Introduction to Psychopharmacology
A history of LySergic acid Diethylamide
- Ergotamine (produced by fungi on rye)
- Ergotism (going crazy)
- Other symptoms: convulsions, gangrene (vasoconstriction= veins that are constricting),
hallucinations
Timeline of LSD:
- 1918: isolation and use of ergotamine
- 1938: synthesis of synthetic LSD-25 by Hoffmann
- 1943: first LSD trip
- 1962: LSD forbidden by law
- 1970’s: Jan Bastiaans: controversial trauma treatment
- 1977: Herman van Praag: we need systematic LSD research
LSD: the mechamism
LSD is primarily a serotonin agonist
Cannabis as a cure of psychological problems?
- Treat sleep and anxiety
- Current treatment: benzodiazepines (valium) → drowsiness and addiction
Cannabis as a cause of psychological problems?
- Chronically cannabis use before the age of 18 causes 8 lower IQ points
How does cannabis work?
- THC: targets CB1 and CB2 receptors → high
- CBD: targets other receptors → pain relieving (helped with Dravet’s syndrome)
- Terpenes (smell) and flavonoids/phenols (taste)
- Synthetic THC bonds more strongly to CB1 and CB2 receptors (be careful)
Novichok: Acetyl-choline-esterase (AChE) inhibitor
- Block AChE, the enzyme that breaks down acetylcholine (so more endogenous
acetylcholine in the brain)
, - Helps with myasthenia gravis (muscle) and Alzheimer's disease
Ritalin: from molecules to behavioral systems
- Helps you focus (for example in ADHD)
Do we grow new neurons after we are born?
- A few, but we mostly only use the ones we already have and change the connections
between them.
- We have a lot at child/adolescence and prune out the ones we do not need at later age
A brief reminder about neurons:
- Interaction between chemical activity and electrical activity (EEG)
- See picture below
,Lecture 2: Modes of Communication
A closer look at the synapse:
- Axo-dendretic (normal)
- Axo-somatic (on the body)
- Axo-axonic (on another axon)
6-10.000 synapses per neuron
500-1000 trillion synapses in your brain
- Synapses from and disappear
- Even axons and dendrites have limited capacity to repair
, Neurons use chemicals to communicate
Anterograde (classic) neurotransmission
Volume conduction
