NURS 2004 Chapter Notes - Chapter 20: Stimulant, Depressant, Phenobarbital
28 Jan 2017
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Chapter 20: introduction to central nervous system pharmacology. Agents that act on the brain and spinal cord. Can be used for both medical and non-medical purposes. Medical purposes include: pain relief, suppression of seizures, production of anesthesia and treatment of psychiatric disorders. Non-medical purposes include: stimulant, depressant, euphoriant and other mind altering abilities. Knowledge of these agents are limited (due to brain and spinal cords complexity). The cns contains at least 21 compounds that serve as neurotransmitters. (norepinephrine is the same for both the cns and the pns) None of the 21 compounds have been proven to serve as neurotransmitters however, and not all have been discovered. The brain is highly complex and we do not have enough research to indicate exactly how some neurotransmitters of the cns alter or achieve drug function. Dopamine, norepinephrine and enkephalins have supporting evidence of their role as neurotransmitters in the cns.
