General Psychopharmacology

Abstract

Initial development of neuropsychiatric medications relied heavily on serendipitous discovery rather than targeted drug designs. Nowadays, drug discovery targets include receptors, enzymes, and transporters. The human brain comprises many neurons, each being connected to other neurons via synapses. Neurotransmission occurs when a presynaptic neuron projects its terminal segment to form a connection or synapse with an adjacent postsynaptic neuron. When stimulated, neurotransmitters that are stored in small vesicles in the presynaptic neuron are released into an interneuronal gap called the synaptic cleft. Serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, γ-amino butyric acid, glutamate, and acetylcholine are among the primary neurotransmitters and chemicals that play important roles in neuropsychiatric functions. As such, they are often common targets of drug development. Grasping the basics of neurotransmission, enzyme degradation, and receptor and transporter pharmacology is essential in understanding today’s FDA-approved pharmaceuticals. This neuropharmacology primer will allow the rational and appropriate clinical selection of pharmacotherapy and accurate anticipation of clinical effects following use. This review contains 1 figure and 45 references Key Words: acetylcholine, dopamine, γ-amino butyric acid, glutamate, neurotransmission, norepinephrine, pharmacology, psychiatric medications, psychopharmacology, receptor, serotonin