Mechanisms of Drug Action on the Nervous System [Paperback]

Drugs affecting the nerves and the brain are among the most commonly used in contemporary medicine. This study examines the mechanisms by which such substances cause their therapeutic or undesirable side-effects in relation to underlying processes and pathological phenomena. The book fills the information gap between large textbooks and highly specialized reviews and monographs. Mechanisms of drug actions are examined mainly at the cellular and subcellular levels. Molecular, neurochemical and electrophysiological approaches are used in an attempt to provide a rational study of drugs acting on the nervous system.Preface to the second edition; Preface to the first edition; List of abbreviations; 1. Introduction; 2. Techniques; Part I. Peripheral Nervous System: 3. Neuromuscular junction; 4. Autonomic nervous system; Part II. Central Nervous System: 5. Central neurotransmitters and neuromodulators; 6. The blood-brain barrier; 7. General anaesthetics; 8. Pain and analgesia; 9. Drug interactions with inhibitory amino acids; 10. Drugs used in schizophrenia; 11. Affective and manic depression; 12. Disorders associated with defined brain lesions; Selected reading; Index. ...an excellent introductory monograph on the subject and is worth recommending to the intended readership, namely, preclinical medical students and undergraduates in other sciences. Dilip V. Jeste, American Journal of Psychiatry