Study Basics & Brain Functions Flash Cards

 
Pile Management Card
Basics & Brain Functions

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Kinetics: Drug Half-Life, Steady State, & Plasma Level
>>Know half-life & why need to know it (e.g. because know what type of med to give to the client and etc.)<<

Majority of excretion is through kidneys, but also through saliva, sweat, & respiratory, depending on drug metabolism.

Drug half-life is important for dosage interval (i.e. the time required for the serum concentration to be reduced by 50% [either through excretion, distribution to fat cells, etc.]); used to measure the steady state.

Steady State - amount administered equals the amount excreted; [has nothing to do with drug's effects].

(L2, P6)
Neurotransmitters: Excitatory or Inhibitory
>>Know if it's excitatory or inhibitory<<

Mostly excitatory: Acetylcholine (Ach) & Norepinephrine (NE)

Usually inhibitory - Dopamine (Do) & Serotonin (SE), Gamma-aminobutyric (GABA)

(L1, P9)
Neuronal Transmission: Chemical Events
Where millions of nerve cells are interconnected.

Stimuli stimulates nerve cell --> Resting potential/status creates action potential (AP) --> AP (i.e. Impulse) spreads to axon into vesicles to the end of the axon (i.e. terminal bouton) --> Causes/produces release of neurotransmitter in the Pre-Synapatic neuron --> NT travels to Post-Synatpic neuron --> NT Binds to receptors --> Causes an effect

(L1, P3) & (L2, P2)
Synapse
>> E.g. What is a synapse? What happens in a synapse?<<

A tiny space between the nerve cells.

Where action occurs with the help of receptors and neurotransmitters.

[Between the terminal and dendrites.]

(L1, P3)
Neurotransmitters (NT)
>>E.g. What's a NT? [MC question]<<

Neurotransmitters (i.e. Messenger Molecules, First Messenger Molecules)

Chemicals that carry messages between cells.

Manufactured in the cell body, transferred through axon, and stored in vesicles.

Nerve cells don't touch one another, and NT help with the impulse transmission through the synapse.

NTs are excitatory or inhibitory.

(L1, P4) & (L2, P1)
Receptor Binding
Variable binding

Serotonin (SE) varies in effect depending on the receptor available for its binding.

(L1, P4)
PharmacoKinetics: Main Factors
>>Know kinetics on the drug<<

Body effects on the drug.

Kinetics main factors:
1. Absorption
2. Distribution
3. Biotransformation
4. Excretion

General metabolism:
Absorbed in stomach & small intestine --> Circulated/distributed in body --> Metabolized in the liver --> Excreted through kidney

(L2, P5)
Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)
>>Know<<

[Most of the effect is in the PNS.]

Autonomic (ANS) & Somatic (SNS)

Autonomic - Sympathetic (S) & Parasympathetic (PS)

Somatic branch to skeletal muscles & from sensory organs to CNS.

(L1, P8) & (L2, P4)
Neuronal Activation of Hypothalamus: 3 Fight or Flight Responses:
>>E.g. What are the 3 responses?<<

1. Sympathetic Nervous System
Hypothalamus --> Sympathetic --> Adrenal --> Adrenaline

2. Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal pathway (HPA axis)
Hypothalamus --> Pituitary --> Adrenal (e.g. Adrenal releases steroid-cortisol)

3. Hypothalmic-Pituitary-Thyroid axis
Hypothalamus --> Pituitary --> Thyroid (e.g. Thyroid releases thyroid hormones, T3 & T4)

(L2, P2)
Prefrontal Cortex
>>Know<<

Impulse control, attention, organization.

(L2, P2)
Cortex
>>Know<<

Higher process, thought processing (cognitive), perceptions.

(L2, P2)
Limbic System
>>Know<<

Analyzes the stimuli; fight or flight [i.e. impulses]; shuts down if necessary.

Amygdala elicits and controls aggression, fear, fight or flight, mechanism (i.e. emotions).

(L1, P7) & (L2, P2)
Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)
>>What are the 2 parts in the ANS?<<

[ANS gives us self-regulation (e.g. breathing); we don't need to think about it; most organs are regulated by the ANS]

Sympathetic - acts in stress response, fight or flight response, [whole body, when you get active], mostly multi-organ effect.
Main mediator is norepinephrine (NE), mostly releasing NE - adrenergic.

Parasympathetic (PS) - activated at times of relaxation, conserves energy, mostly affects one organ.
Main mediator is Acetylcholine - anticholinergic.

(L1, P6) & (L1, P8) & (L2, P4)
Side Effects in Parasympathetic (PS) & Sympathetic (S)
>>Know anticholinergic effects<<

Parasympathetic (PS) - anticholinergic (e.g. blurred vision, dry mouth, constipation, urine retention, heart rate changes).

Sympathetic (S) - adrenergic (e.g. hypotension - decreased norepinephrine; rapid heart rate - increased norepinephrine).

[Most medications have anticholinergic effects.]

(L1, P8) & (L2, P4)
Hypothalamus
>>Know functions<<

Affected by the influence of neurotransmitters.

Regulates body functions (e.g. sleep, appetite, sex drive, temperature).

Regulates Autonomic Nervous System
(ANS) and endocrine glands [e.g. thyroids, ovaries, hormones].

(L1, P7) & (L2, P2)
Neurotransmitters in Synapses: Binding to Receptors
>>Know what happens to NTs in synapses; Important to know because that's how medication works<<

1. Bind to a receptor [i.e. "go"]
2. Reabsorbed, reuptake [i.e. "recycled"]
3. Destroyed by enzymes [i.e. "destroyed"]

Binding to receptors - how 1 neuron influences the functioning of the other neurons.

[Important to know because that's how the medication works]

(L1, P4) & (L2, P2)
PharmacoDynamics (Definition)
Drug effects on the body.
5 Ways Drugs Work
1. Increase NT production
2. Block reuptake
3. Bind to receptor
4. Inhibit enzymes
5. Change sensitivity or post-synaptic neurons [e.g. dendrites] to NT [i.e. post-synaptic area may be changed as a result of the incoming NT]

[Most of the time, we want to increase NTs]

(L2, P5)
Adjacent Structures
[Adjacent structures regulate the fight or flight, sex, etc.]

1. Limbic (i.e. hippocampus, amygdala, septum)

2. Diencephalons (i.e. thalamus, hypothalamus)

3. Basal Ganglia (i.e. caudate, putamen, globus pallidus)

(L1, P5)
Parts of the Nervous System
1. Brainstem

2. Adjacent Structures

C. Cerebral Cortex

(L1, P5)
Neurotransmitters (Definition)
A chemical that carries messages between nerve cells, can be excitatory (+) or inhibitory (-).

(L1, P2)
Receptors (Definition)
A nerve ending sensitive to stimuli and converts into nerve impulse.

(L1, P2)
Clinicians (Definition)
A medical professional (or psychologist) who works directly with patients.

[e.g. MFT, MSW, LCSW]

(L1, P2)
Psychiatrist (Definition)
An MD trained in treatment of people with psychiatric disorders.

(L1, P2)
Medications/Drugs (Definition)
A natural or artificial substance used to treat or prevent a disease, or to lessen pain or symptoms.

(L1, P2)
Psychotropic (Definition)
Drugs capable of affecting the mind (e.g. drugs used to treat psychiatric disorders).

(L1, P2)
Psychopharmacology (Definition)
The study of the psychological effect of the drugs.

Effect of drugs on thought and behavior.

(L1, P2)
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