Pharmacology course work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Pharmacology course work - Essay Example The catecholamine theory of mood proposed by Schildkraut suggests that depression is associated with a functional deficiency of noradrenaline at receptor sites within the brain and mania is associated with an excess of noradrenaline at central receptor sites. Recent studies have shown that depressing effects on the CNS by ethanol is mediated by GABA which is a primary inhibitory neurotransmitter in the CNS. Activation of the GABA receptors by GABA decreases neuronal excitability. Increased stimulation of the NMDA receptor is implicated in the increased free radical production by which it potentiates the toxicity of several peptides and causes neuronal damage and impairment of synaptic plasticity. MPTP is a model in which the neurotoxin MPTP is employed. This has a competitive advantage over other models as when it causes intoxication it induces a syndrome virtually identical to Parkinson’s disease in