LCDC Exam (Latest Update) Questions &
Answers
Two main types of cells in the nervous system glia and neurons
Glia Cells that out number neurons, cannot process information like
neurons, make up the
blood brain barrier that protects the brain from toxic chemicals in the blood
Nervous system...
LCDC Exam (Latest Update) Questions &
Answers
Two main types of cells in the nervous system ✔✔glia and neurons
Glia ✔✔Cells that out number neurons, cannot process information like
neurons, make up the
blood brain barrier that protects the brain from toxic chemicals in the blood
Nervous system ✔✔Consists of neurons, axons and receptors
Receptors ✔✔Proteins that help regulate activity of cells in the nervous system.
Activation of
receptors by neurotransmitters cause a change in activity of the target cell and
many of the
effects of psychoactive drugs are due to the ability to alter neurotransmitters.
Neurons ✔✔basic structural unit of the nervous system responsible for
analyzing and
transmitting information. There are more than 100 billion neurons in the
nervous system
Synapse ✔✔Typical point of communication, gap between neurons is called the
synaptic cleft.
, LCDC Exam (Latest Update) Questions &
Answers
Two types of synapses ✔✔Excitatory and inhibitory synapse. The receiving
region is called the
dendrite
Effects on receptors ✔✔Can be agonistic or antagonistic
Agonistic drugst ✔✔interact with the receptor and produce a response, agonist
(a substance that
fully activates the neuronal receptor that it attaches to) Imitates the action of
neurotransmitter, is
the use of a (usually) long-acting medication that stimulates the same brain
receptors as the drug
of addiction. The most obvious example is opioid agonist therapy for opioid
addiction using
methadone or buprenorphine. An agonist is a drug that activates certain
receptors in the brain.
Full agonist opioids activate the opioid receptors in the brain fully resulting in
the full opioid
, LCDC Exam (Latest Update) Questions &
Answers
effect. Examples of full agonists are heroin, oxycodone, methadone,
hydrocodone, morphine,
opium and others. Buprenorphine is a partial agonist meaning, it activates the
opioid receptors in
the brain, but to a much lesser degree than a full agonist. A pure opioid
antagonist used in
medicine is naloxone (not to be confused with naltrexone).
Antagonisitic ✔✔Drugs interact with the receptor but prevent a response,
agonist drugs which
bind to the neurotransmitters in the brain, antagonist drugs do the opposite:
they block the brain's
neurotransmitters. The action of neurotransmitter is obstructed. Buprenorphine
also acts as an
antagonist, meaning it blocks other opioids, while allowing for some opioid
effect of its own to
suppress withdrawal symptoms and cravings.
, LCDC Exam (Latest Update) Questions &
Answers
Agonist-antagonist opioids ✔✔In pharmacology the term agonist-antagonist is
used to refer to a
drug which exhibits some properties of an agonist (a substance that fully
activates the neuronal
receptor that it attaches to) and some properties of an antagonist (a substance
that attaches to a
receptor but does not activate it or if it displaces an agonist at that receptor it
seemingly
deactivates it thereby reversing the effect of the agonist).
Agonist-antagonist opioids[edit]
The best known agonist-antagonists are opioids. Examples of such opioids are:
buprenorphine[1] (Suboxone, Subutex)
pentazocine
butorphanol
nalbuphine
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