Abstract
Neuropharmacology deals with specific and unspecific interactions of substances with diverse molecules of the nervous system. Starting with the chemical elements, the various intermolecular bonds are presented together with symmetric vs. asymmetric electron distribution leading to lipophilic or hydrophilic interactions. These lead to hydrogen bonds that, together with other weak attractive forces, come into play when reversible molecular interaction is dealt with, such as the one between ligand and receptor, but that also help to explain the folding of biological macromolecules. Then basic pharmacological concepts, such as agonism, antagonism, and partial agonism, as well as affinity, efficacy, and potency are described. This chapter concludes with a thorough description of molecular targets at the synapse and a comparison between ionotropic and metabotropic receptors.
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Notes
- 1.
Immunoactive cells liberate these peptides that have signal function.
- 2.
To be exact, it should say “activity” instead of “concentration.” The difference is that only freely mobile ions count rather than the total number of them (see also footnote a in Table 2.2).
- 3.
Biologists divide biological organisms into two groups: prokaryotic and eukaryotic. Cells of the latter group have a number of distinct organelles such as mitochondria, ribosomes, a Golgi apparatus, and a nucleus containing the DNA (see also footnote 2 in 7 Chap. 2).
- 4.
In the case of some mechanoreceptors, there are layers of connective tissue surrounding the “nerve ending” that contains the molecular transducers.
- 5.
Ethanol has a lower density than water (0.789).
- 6.
“Third” messenger, because the “first” signaling molecule, such as a transmitter or hormone, activates “second” messengers inside the cell that again can activate “third” messengers that after getting into the nucleus bind to DNA parts activating or suppressing parts of the genome.
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Zeise, M.L. (2021). Basics of Neuropharmacology. In: Zeise, M.L. (eds) Neuroscience for Psychologists. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-47645-8_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-47645-8_3
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