the study of the effects of drugs on mind and behavior is called pharmacology.
the study of the effects of drugs on mind and behavior is called pharmacology.
the study of the effects of drugs on mind and behavior is called?
pharmacology
pharmacology can also focus on specific systems comprising the body. divisions related to bodily systems study the effects of drugs in different systems of the body. these include neuropharmacology, in the central and peripheral nervous systems; immunopharmacology in the immune system. other divisions include cardiovascular, renal and endocrine pharmacology. psychopharmacology, is the study of the effects of drugs on the psyche, mind and behavior, such as the behavioral effects of psychoactive drugs. it incorporates approaches and techniques from neuropharmacology, animal behavior and behavioral neuroscience, and is interested in the behavioral and neurobiological mechanisms of action of psychoactive drugs. the related field of neuropsychopharmacology focuses on the effects of drugs at the overlap between the nervous system and the psyche.
pharmacology
drugs can influence behavior by altering neurotransmitter activity. for instance, drugs can decrease the rate of synthesis of neurotransmitters by affecting the synthetic enzyme(s) for that neurotransmitter. when neurotransmitter syntheses are blocked, the amount of neurotransmitters available for release becomes substantially lower, resulting in a decrease in neurotransmitter activity. some drugs block or stimulate the release of specific neurotransmitters. alternatively, drugs can prevent neurotransmitter storage in synaptic vesicles by causing the synaptic vesicle membranes to leak. drugs that prevent a neurotransmitter from binding to its receptor are called receptor antagonists. for example, drugs used to treat patients with schizophrenia such as haloperidol, chlorpromazine, and clozapine are antagonists at receptors in the brain for dopamine. other drugs act by binding to a receptor and mimicking the normal neurotransmitter. such drugs are called receptor agonists. an example of a receptor agonist is morphine, an opiate that mimics effects of the endogenous neurotransmitter β-endorphin to relieve pain. other drugs interfere with the deactivation of a neurotransmitter after it has been released, thereby prolonging the action of a neurotransmitter. this can be accomplished by blocking re-uptake or inhibiting degradative enzymes. lastly, drugs can also prevent an action potential from occurring, blocking neuronal activity throughout the central and peripheral nervous system. drugs such as tetrodotoxin that block neural activity are typically lethal.
neurotransmitter