PS268 Lecture Notes - Lecture 14: Therapeutic Index, Sympathetic Nervous System, Pupillary Response
Document Summary
Index: drugs mimic molecular structures of neurotransmitters in the brain, which effects brain activity, drugs have the ability to produce exact copies of specific neurotransmitters in the brain, which effect brain activity. Urine, vomiting, sweat: all drugs are eliminated from the body by destructive enzymes, drugs can only be metabolized into a non-psychoactive chemical and then excreted, enzymes are not involved with eliminating drugs from the body. Bloom"s taxonomy: apply: the autonomic nervous system is a major target for drugs in the body, therefore, it is a good way of referencing if drugs have been recently consumed. Assume your friend has ingested mdma before going to a party. Now, from the options listed below, distinguish a common reaction of the sympathetic nervous system to this drug: decrease blood-pressure, decrease serotonin and norepinephrine levels, pupillary response (mydriasis, increase risk of vomiting, increased digestive rates.
