PSYC 3030 Chapter 8-11: Psychopharm final.docx

• School: University of Guelph
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 3030
• Professor: Boyer Winters

Document Summary

Dna that direct synthesis of each receptor protein: using the nucleic acid sequence, the aa of the protein can be identified and compared with other families of receptor families, the transfected cells can be used to study the intracellular changes induced by receptor agonists, by radioactively labeling the genetic material, in situ hybridization makes it possible to visualize those cells in the brain that synthesize the receptor and localize the receptors themselves. Thalamus, raphe nuclei, peri gray, spinal cord, striatum, brain stem, nucleus accubmens, amygdala, hippocampus. Morphine can act on those same opioid receptors to inhibit the transmission of the pain signal to higher brain centers that normally allow us to become aware of the sensory experience: endorphins regulate many modulatory pathways that descend from the brain to inhibit spinal cord pain transmission either by directly inhibiting the projection neuron (a) or the excitatory interneuron (b) or by exciting the inhibitory opioid neuron (c)