Psychopharmacology UPDATED ACTUAL Questions and
CORRECT Answers
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uses of psychopharmacology - Medicine: treatments for neurodegenerative disorders (e.g. Parkinson's disease),
affective disorders (e.g. depression), pain, sedation etc
- Tool to study the mechanisms by which the brain controls psychological function
agonist drugs: • facilitates the effects of a particular neurotransmitter on the postsynaptic cell
antagonist drugs: • A drug that inhibits the effects of a particular neurotransmitter on the
postsynaptic cell
types of GABA receptors GABA-A (ionotropic) and GABA-B (metabotropic)
types of glutamate receptor: AMPA, NMDA, Kainate and metabotropic
Glutamate and Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA) most common neurotransmitters in the brain
What is psychopharmacology? The study of the effects of drugs on the nervous system and behaviour.
What historical use did Amanita muscaria have? It was used as a psychostimulant for religious purposes.
What are the two types of acetylcholine receptors? Nicotinic (ionotropic) and muscarinic (metabotropic).
Where are nicotinic receptors found? In the brain and at the neuro-muscular junction.
What is the role of muscarinic cholinergic receptors? They modulate learning and memory, attention, and sleep/wake cycles.
What is the effect of muscimol when injected into the It facilitates GABA activity and can impair memory ONLY at high doses.
medial septum?
What is the purpose of the radial arm maze in memory To test reference and spatial memory in lab rats.
testing?
What does a dose-response curve illustrate? The impact of different doses of the same drug.
What neurotransmitter system is associated with The mesolimbic dopamine system.
dopamine?
What happens to dopamine neuron responses during They respond to the primary reinforcer initially, then to the cue as the task is
task learning? learned.