PHAR 100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Agonism, Serotonergic, Neuron

• School: Queen's University
• Department: Pharmacology and Toxicology
• Course: PHAR 100
• Professor: Bill Racz

Document Summary

Basic functions of the nervous system: recognize, changes in the internal/external temperature, process and integrate, environmental changes are perceived, body feels hot/cold, sweat, shiver, react. Cns: brain, receives and processes information o. Initiates response: spinal cord, conducting signals from periphery to the brain, controls reflex (automatic) activates such as breathing. Cerebral cortex: occipatal- vision, temporal- hearing, parietal- sensory perception, frontal- higher level cognitive functions. Thalamus: relay station for sensory and motor information to the cerebral cortex. Hypothalamus: repsonsible for the autonomic nervous system, controls hormonal output of the pituitary gland, ex. Neurons: a nerve cell capable of generating and transmitting electrical signals, basic functional cell of the nervous system, analyse and transmit information, muscle and gland activity. Integrate and store information o: receive sensory information from outside the body. Receptors: specialized proteins that bind neurotransmitters, lock and key principle; specific neurotransmitters for specific receptors, exert the effects on postsynaptic neuron: action potential, excitatory effects.