THE PHARMACOLOGY AND

PHYSIOLOGY OF DRUGSGoldberg Chapter 5

SOC 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 for l

ife!

They got l

ucky.

This is

me…

not carin

g abo..

Is th

ere re

ally su

ch a b

ird?

67%

11%11%11%

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 day

B. A month

C. A trillion seconds

D. 32,000 years All day

A month

A trilli

on seco

nds

32,000 years

0%

36%

27%

36%

The Brain

Expert Group

• What does your neurotransmitter do?

• What happens if there is an excess?

• What happens if there is a deficit?

Action Potential

https://www.youtu

be.com/watch?v=H

nKMB11ih2o

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, movement

3. 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 pathways

5. 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

memory

7. 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. True

B. False

True

False

0%

100%

The neurotransmitter responsible

for control of alertness and the

fight-or-flight response is:

A. GABA

B. Dopamine

C. Serotonin

D. Norepinephrine

GABA

Dopamin

e

Seroto

nin

Norepin

ephrine

18%

36%

18%

27%

This neurotransmitter is

the brain’s major

inhibitory

neurotransmitter

A. Serotonin

B. GABA

C. Endorphins

D. AcetylcholineSero

tonin

GABA

Endorphin

s

Acety

lcholin

e

18%

9%

27%

45%

This neurotransmitter

has a huge influence

on mood

A. Endorphins

B. Glutamate

C. Serotonin

D. Acetylcholine

Endorphin

s

Gluta

mate

Seroto

nin

Acety

lcholin

e

0% 0%

100%

0%

This

neurotransmitter is

responsible for

feelings of

pleasure/reward.A. Glutamate

B. Serotonin

C. Dopamine

D. GABAGlu

tam

ate

Seroto

nin

Dopamin

e

GABA

0% 0%

100%

0%

Synaptic Gap

https://www.y

outube.com/w

atch?v=XGIN

Q7xhPkM

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. True

B. False

True

False

0%0%

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. True

B. False

True

False

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