Psychopharmacology

 Complex  1.4 kg in weight  Pre frontal cortex  2% of body weight  20% of oxygen  15% of our cardiac input  10% of all energy

 Brain protection system  The BBB is both;  A physical barrier that restricts the entrance of potentially harmful substances  A system of cellular transport mechanisms that controls the entrance of essential nutrients

 Cerebrum and Cerebral cortex  Left and Right Hemispheres  Left Hemisphere- dominant hemisphere  Production of language  Mathematical ability  Problem solving Right Hemisphere - Creativity - Spatial ability

 Located at the front of both cerebral hemispheres  Primary motor cortex  Pre motor cortex  Broca’s Area  Complex Functioning – personality, judgement, insight, reasoning, problem solving, abstract thinking and working memory

 Located behind frontal lobe  Somatosensory cortex  Spatial orientation, perception and comprehension of language function recognising objects by touch  Links visual and somatosensory information together  Neglect

 Located et each side of the brain  Involved in receiving and processing auditory information, higher order visual information, complex aspects of memory and language  Wernicke’s area

 Visual processing area  Corpus Callosum

Thalamus Filter for sensory information Control of mood states Body movement Hypothalamus Central control Regulate autonomic, emotional, endocrine and somatic function Stress

 Cerebellum  Equilibrium  Muscle tone  Postural control  Coordination of muscle movement  Pons  Relay station

Medulla Oblongata Skeletal muscles Balance Coordination Inner ear sound impulses Heart rate, vomiting, sneezing Reticular formation Arousal Circadian rhythm respiration

 Basal ganglia  Muslce tone  Posture  Movement  Substantia Nigra

 Amygdala  Mood  Hippocampus  Memory

 The structural unit of the brain  Cell body  Axon  Dendrites  Synapse

The Information that flows in the neurone Approximately 10 billion neurons are responsible for receiving, organising and transmitting information in the central nervous system Ions in the intracellular fluid (inside the cell) have a negative charge Ions in extracellular fluid (outside the cell) have a positive charge attracting positively charged cells (cations) ‘Potential difference’ between the inside and the outside of the cell

 Ions are sodium, potassium, calcium and chloride  ‘voltage gated’  Resting Potential vs. Action potential

 The flow of neurotransmitter across the synapse  Neurotransmitter;  Made in the pre synaptic neurone  Stored inactively in synaptic vesicles  Released from the synaptic vesicles into the synapse  Binds to receptors  Binds to reuptake transporters to be taken back into the neurone  Is degraded by specific enzymes

 Acetylcholine (ACh)  Norepinephrine (NE)( also known as noradrenaline)  Dopamine(D)  Serotonin (5HT)  Glutamate  Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)

 There are two kinds of neurotransmitters – INHIBITORY and EXCITATORY.  stimulate the brain  calm the brain

Cholinergic pathways thought to be involved in cognition (esp. memory) and our sleep/wake cycle parasympathetic nervous system regulating bodily functions such as heart rate, digestion, secretion of saliva and bladder function Alzheimer’s disease and myathesia gravis (weakness of skeletal muscles) Anti-cholinergic effects

attention, alertness and arousal NE levels fluctuate with sleep and wakefulness and changes in attention and vigilance mood, affective states and anxiety antidepressant

complex movement and cognition Emotional responses such as euphoria or pleasure (seen in amphetamine/cocaine use). Significant role in motor control EPSE’s

Great influences on behaviour. Low serotonin activity is associated with aggression, suicide, impulsive eating and dis- inhibited sexual behaviour modulating general activity levels of the CNS, particularly the onset of sleep depression and anxiety disorders delusions, hallucinations (LSD) negative symptoms of schizophrenia

 Glutamate is found in all cells of the body  control the opening of ion channels that allow calcium to pass into nerve cells producing impulses  Blocking of glutamate receptors produces ( eg. By PCP) schizophrenic like symptoms  Over exposure of neurons to glutamate cause cell death seen in stroke and Huntington’s disease (PN).

 Inhibitory and its pathways are only found within the CNS.  control excitatory neurotransmitters in the brain and controlling spinal and cerebral reflexes.  anxiety disorders  decreased GABA can lead to seizure activity  Benzodiazepines and barbiturates sedative medication act on GABA