PSY 454 Lecture Notes - Lecture 13: Reuptake, Agonist, Area Postrema
Document Summary
Study of the ways drugs affect the nervous system and behavior. Chemical compounds administered to produce a desired change. Substance that acts to alter mood, thought, or behavior, used to manage neuropsychological illness. To be effective, a psychoactive drug has to reach its nervous system target. Inhaled: rectally, patch applied to the skin or mucous membranes. With each barrier eliminated en route to the brain, the dose of a drug can be reduced by another. The body presents a number of barriers to the internal movement of drugs: cell membranes, capillary walls, the placenta. Bbb prevents most substances, including drugs, from entering the brai via the bloodstream. Endothelial cell walls in the brain are fsed to form tight junctions, so most substances cannot squeeze between them. The area postrema allows toxic substances in the blood to trigger a vomiting response. The pineal gland enables hormones to reach it and modulate the day-night cycles controlled by this structure.
