PSYB65H3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Neurotransmitter Receptor, Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor, Cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate
Document Summary
Largest numbers of patients in psych wards are alcoholics/drug addicts. Prescription drugs: prescribed by a physician; drugs that require a prescription legally varies b/w countries. Over-the-counter drugs: can buy at a drugstore w/o a prescription. Social drugs: not obtained by prescription or drugstore, eg alcohol, caffeine. Non-commercial: drugs not produced commercially or not produced commercially for their psychoactive effect, eg marijuana, airplane glue. Tolerance: if taken repeatedly, there is a decreasing effect for the drug. When taking a drug (eg stimulant), excess of neurotransmitter would be released and hit the receptors on the post- synaptic neuron. => as there is an excess of stimulant, there is a plastic response of the post synaptic receptor to reduce the number or sensitivity of the receptors. => compensating for over-activation induced by the drug neuron won"t fire as often due to its own feedback loop. Over time taking the same amount of drug, receptors in the brain diminish (developing a tolerance)
