THE PHARMACOLOGY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF DRUGSGoldberg Chapter 5SOC 204 Drugs & Society

How ‘bout them Seahawks?A. 12 for life! Super

Bowl bound, baby!B. They got lucky.C. This is me…not

caring about football.

D. Is there really such a bird? 12 fo

r life!

They got lu

cky.

This is m

e…not carin

g abo..

Is there re

ally su

ch a bird

?

0% 0%0%0%

Pharmacology

• Different drugs produce different effects within the psyche and soma

• The interaction between drugs and living organisms is called pharmacology

• Drug pharmacology relates to the way it is administered, absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and excreted

Nervous System

• Peripheral Nervous System• Somatic Nervous System• Autonomic Nervous System

• Sympathetic• Parasympathetic

• Central Nervous System

Neuron

• Homeostasis• Neurons and Glial Cells• Neurotransmission

You have approximately 100 billion neurons and 100 trillion synapses in your brain. How long would it take to count to a trillion?

A. All dayB. A monthC. A trillion secondsD. 32,000 years All d

ay

A month

A trilli

on seco

nds

32,000 years

17% 17%17%

50%

The Brain

Expert Group

• What does your neurotransmitter do?• What happens if there is an excess?• What happens if there is a deficit?

Chemical Pathways

1. Dopamine (excitatory)• Found in basal ganglia and

other regions – behavior & emotions, including pleasure

• Nigrostriatal dopamine pathway• Related to muscle rigidity

• Mesolimbic dopamine pathway• Related to psychotic behavior• Possible component of the

“reward” properties of drugs

Chemical Pathways

2. Acetylcholine (excitatory)• Found in the cerebral cortex & basal ganglia• Involved in Alzheimer’s disease, learning, memory

storage, movement3. Norepinephrine (excitatory & inhibitory)• Regulates level of arousal and attentiveness, memory• May play a role in initiation of food intake (appetite)

Chemical Pathways

4. Serotonin (inhibitory or excitatory)• Found in the brain stem raphe nuclei• May have a role in impulsivity, aggression, depression,

control of food, and alcohol intake• Hallucinogenic drugs influence serotonin pathways5. GABA (Gamma-amino butyric acid) (inhibitory)• Found in most regions of the brain• Inhibitory neurotransmitter, sleep, anxiety

Chemical Pathways

6. Glutamate (excitatory)• Found in most regions of the brain• Excitatory neurotransmitter, involved in long-term

memory7. Endorphins (inhibitory)• Opioid-like chemical occurring naturally in the brain• Play a role in pain relief

People who engage in strenuous exercise actually emit a neurotransmitter that contributes to a “high” feeling.

A. TrueB. False

TrueFa

lse

0%

100%

The neurotransmitter responsible for control of alertness and the fight-or-flight response is:

A. GABAB. DopamineC. SerotoninD. Norepinephrine

GABA

Dopamine

Serotonin

Norepinephrine

0%

100%

0%0%

This neurotransmitter is the brain’s major inhibitory neurotransmitter

A. SerotoninB. GABAC. EndorphinsD. Acetylcholine

SerotoninGABA

Endorphins

Acetylcholin

e

83%

17%

0%0%

This neurotransmitter has a huge influence on moodA. EndorphinsB. GlutamateC. SerotoninD. Acetylcholine

Endorphins

Glutamate

Serotonin

Acetylcholin

e

0%

20%

60%

20%

This neurotransmitter is responsible for feelings of pleasure/reward.A. GlutamateB. SerotoninC. DopamineD. GABA

Glutamate

Serotonin

DopamineGABA

0% 0%

100%

0%

Synaptic Gap

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGINQ7xhPkM

Drug Actions

• Alter neurotransmitter availability• Agonists - Mimic neurotransmitters• Antagonists = Occupy neurotransmitter and prevent

its activation• Interference with reuptake• Video: https://

www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXREQnFGHGA

Classifications

One’s mood while taking a psychoactive drug will affect the experience derived from the drug.A. TrueB. False

TrueFa

lse

0%

100%

Drug Effects

• Nonspecific effects

• Specific effects

• Placebo effects

Double-blind procedure

Dose

• Threshold• Effective dose• Lethal dose• Therapeutic Index = LD50/ED50

If a drug has a lethal dose that is close to its effective dose, that drug is more dangerous than if the LD is far from the ED.

A. TrueB. False

TrueFa

lse

0%0%

Dose

• Potency = measured by the amount of a drug required to produce a given effect

• Toxicity = capacity of a drug to do damage or cause adverse side effects

• Safety margin = difference between: • Dose that produces the desired therapeutic effect in most

patients• Lowest dose that produces an unacceptable toxic reaction

• Most drugs have an LD1 well above the ED95

Routes of Administration

Forms and methods

of taking drugs

oral ingestion

inhalation

injection

topical application

Distribution

Mechanisms

• Transport in the blood• Blood-brain barrier• Effects on all neurons• Effects on neurotransmitters• Enzyme induction• Deactivation

Tolerance

• Pharmacological• Behavioral• Cross-tolerance• Reverse tolerance

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-Qtd6RhfVA