Unit PHARMACOLOGY OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM

PHARMACOLOGY OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM - Cognomi A-L

Code	A003057
CFU	6
Teacher	Oxana Bereshchenko
Teachers	Oxana Bereshchenko
Hours	36 ore - Oxana Bereshchenko
Learning activities	Affine/integrativa
Area	Attività formative affini o integrative
Sector	BIO/14
Type of study-unit	Obbligatorio (Required)
Language of instruction	Italian
Contents	General principles of drug action: Main classes of drugs that act on the central nervous system used for the treatment of various psychiatric disorders, as well as neuroinflamatory and neurodegenerative diseases.
Reference texts	Stephen M Stahl. Essential Psychopharmacology. EDI_ERMES Francesco Rossi, Vincenzo Cuomo, Carlo Riccardi. Pharmacology. Minerva Medica Meyer Psychopharmacology EDI_ERMES
Educational objectives	The lectures aim to introduce psychotropic drugs, the basic principles and therapeutic applications, and to provide the psychologist-psychotherapist with tools that can be of help in understanding the biological mechanisms of the main psychiatric disorders, neuinflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases and in the management of the patient. The course provides the student with an overview of psychoactive molecules, from drugs used in the treatment of the main psychological-psychiatric disorders and main neurodegenerative diseases, to the drugs of chronic pain therapy, sleep disorders, ADHD and PTSD and substances of abuse including those of recreational use and innovative experimental therapies.
Prerequisites	The course makes numerous connections with clinical psychology, psychiatry, neuroscience and neuroanatomy, so good basic knowledge related to Biology, Physiology, Neurophysiology and Psychiatry is needed.
Teaching methods	Frontal lectures
Learning verification modality	Oral exam or Written test on the choice exclusively by the professor. For oral exam: discussion of main topics covered during the course. For written test: 25 Multiple choice questions.¿ Five possible answers of which only one is correct.¿ Exam duration 30 minutes.¿ The evaluation criteria will be based on the understanding of the topics covered, on the acquisition of the proposed concepts and methodologies and on the ability to apply them independently and consciously.
Extended program	Brief history of pharmacology. Definitions: pharmacology, drugs, psychotropic drugs. Therapeutic effect, side effect, adverse effect. Pharmacokinetics: Drug bioavailability. Basic concepts of absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination of drugs. Routes of drug administration. Drug elimination. Half-life. Pharmacodynamics: drug–receptor interactions. Dose–response curve. Potency, efficacy, therapeutic index. Definitions of agonist–antagonist. Tolerance. Types of tolerance. Dependence. Key receptor types on which psychotropic drugs directly act. Anatomical and chemical bases of neurotransmission. Synaptic pharmacology: mechanisms through which drugs can interfere with synaptic transmission. Mechanisms of neurotransmitter inactivation: enzymatic degradation and transport. Basic principles of psychopharmacology. Cholinergic system, main functions of cholinergic neurons. Synthesis and breakdown of acetylcholine. Two classes of acetylcholine receptors. Mechanisms of action of agonists and antagonists of the cholinergic system. Dopaminergic system. Noradrenergic system. Serotonergic system. Neurotransmission mediated by excitatory amino acids (glutamate). Neurotransmission mediated by inhibitory amino acids (GABAergic system). Anxiolytic and sedative-hypnotic drugs. Anxiety disorders and anxiolytics. Amygdala and neurobiology of fear, neurobiology of anxiety. GABA and benzodiazepines. Treatment of insomnia. Efficacy. Side effects and toxicity. Tolerance and dependence. Mood disorders. Bipolar spectrum. Unipolar depression. Stress and depression. Antidepressant drugs. Definitions. Level of efficacy. Dependence. Common side effects. Types of antidepressants: monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Mechanisms of action. Indications. Side effects. Therapeutic use of serotonergic substances for the treatment of anxiety and depression. New fast-acting antidepressant drugs (esketamine). Treatment of PTSD. Antipsychotic drugs. Typical and atypical antipsychotics: mechanisms of action, efficacy, side effects. Pain therapy. Analgesia and anesthesia. Opioid analgesics and pain management. Mechanism of action. Receptors. Endogenous opioids. Pharmacokinetics of morphine and derivatives. Examples of opioid drugs and their use. Adverse reactions. Withdrawal. Dependence. Drugs of abuse. Mechanisms of action of major drugs of abuse. Definitions of tolerance, dependence. Adverse effects and possible therapeutic uses of psilocybin, ketamine, MDMA. ADHD treatment. Treatment of major neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases: Multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, motor neuron diseases (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease). Underlying mechanisms, risk factors, therapies. Pharmacology for psychologists: what we can and cannot expect from drugs, and how they can help or interfere with the work of psychologists.
Obiettivi Agenda 2030 per lo sviluppo sostenibile	3

PHARMACOLOGY OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM - Cognomi M-Z

Code	A003057
CFU	6
Teacher	Oxana Bereshchenko
Teachers	Oxana Bereshchenko
Hours	36 ore - Oxana Bereshchenko
Learning activities	Affine/integrativa
Area	Attività formative affini o integrative
Sector	BIO/14
Type of study-unit	Obbligatorio (Required)
Language of instruction	Italian
Contents	General principles of drug action: Main classes of drugs that act on the central nervous system used for the treatment of various psychiatric disorders, as well as neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases.
Reference texts	Stephen M Stahl. Essential Psychopharmacology. EDI_ERMES Francesco Rossi, Vincenzo Cuomo, Carlo Riccardi. Pharmacology. Minerva Medica Meyer Psychopharmacology EDI_ERMES
Educational objectives	The lectures aim to introduce psychotropic drugs, the basic principles and therapeutic applications, and to provide the psychologist-psychotherapist with tools that can be of help in understanding the biological mechanisms of the main psychiatric disorders, neuinflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases and in the management of the patient. The course provides the student with an overview of psychoactive molecules, from drugs used in the treatment of the main psychological-psychiatric disorders and main neurodegenerative diseases, to the drugs of chronic pain therapy, sleep disorders, ADHD and PTSD and substances of abuse including those of recreational use and innovative experimental therapies. The course makes numerous connections with clinical psychology, psychiatry, neuroscience and neuroanatomy, so good basic knowledge related to Biology, Physiology, Neurophysiology and Psychiatry is needed.
Prerequisites	The course makes numerous connections with clinical psychology, psychiatry, neuroscience and neuroanatomy, so good basic knowledge related to Biology, Physiology, Neurophysiology and Psychiatry is needed.
Teaching methods	Frontal lectures
Learning verification modality	Oral exam or Written test on the choice exclusively by the professor. For oral exam: discussion of main topics covered during the course. For written test: 25 Multiple choice questions.¿ Five possible answers of which only one is correct.¿ Exam duration 30 minutes.¿ The evaluation criteria will be based on the understanding of the topics covered, on the acquisition of the proposed concepts and methodologies and on the ability to apply them independently and consciously.
Extended program	Brief history of pharmacology. Definitions: pharmacology, drugs, psychotropic drugs. Therapeutic effect, side effect, adverse effect. Pharmacokinetics: Drug bioavailability. Basic concepts of absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination of drugs. Routes of drug administration. Drug elimination. Half-life. Pharmacodynamics: drug–receptor interactions. Dose–response curve. Potency, efficacy, therapeutic index. Definitions of agonist–antagonist. Tolerance. Types of tolerance. Dependence. Key receptor types on which psychotropic drugs directly act. Anatomical and chemical bases of neurotransmission. Synaptic pharmacology: mechanisms through which drugs can interfere with synaptic transmission. Mechanisms of neurotransmitter inactivation: enzymatic degradation and transport. Basic principles of psychopharmacology. Cholinergic system, main functions of cholinergic neurons. Synthesis and breakdown of acetylcholine. Two classes of acetylcholine receptors. Mechanisms of action of agonists and antagonists of the cholinergic system. Dopaminergic system. Noradrenergic system. Serotonergic system. Neurotransmission mediated by excitatory amino acids (glutamate). Neurotransmission mediated by inhibitory amino acids (GABAergic system). Anxiolytic and sedative-hypnotic drugs. Anxiety disorders and anxiolytics. Amygdala and neurobiology of fear, neurobiology of anxiety. GABA and benzodiazepines. Treatment of insomnia. Efficacy. Side effects and toxicity. Tolerance and dependence. Mood disorders. Bipolar spectrum. Unipolar depression. Stress and depression. Antidepressant drugs. Definitions. Level of efficacy. Dependence. Common side effects. Types of antidepressants: monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Mechanisms of action. Indications. Side effects. Therapeutic use of serotonergic substances for the treatment of anxiety and depression. New fast-acting antidepressant drugs (esketamine). Treatment of PTSD. Antipsychotic drugs. Typical and atypical antipsychotics: mechanisms of action, efficacy, side effects. Pain therapy. Analgesia and anesthesia. Opioid analgesics and pain management. Mechanism of action. Receptors. Endogenous opioids. Pharmacokinetics of morphine and derivatives. Examples of opioid drugs and their use. Adverse reactions. Withdrawal. Dependence. Drugs of abuse. Mechanisms of action of major drugs of abuse. Definitions of tolerance, dependence. Adverse effects and possible therapeutic uses of psilocybin, ketamine, MDMA. ADHD treatment. Treatment of major neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases: Multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, motor neuron diseases (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease). Underlying mechanisms, risk factors, therapies. Pharmacology for psychologists: what we can and cannot expect from drugs, and how they can help or interfere with the work of psychologists.
Obiettivi Agenda 2030 per lo sviluppo sostenibile	3