Unit ELEMENTS OF PHARMACOLOGY FOR PSYCHOLOGISTS
- Course
- Assessment of individual functioning in clinical and health psychology
- Study-unit Code
- A001620
- Curriculum
- Curriculum i
- Teacher
- Oxana Bereshchenko
- Teachers
-
- Oxana Bereshchenko
- Hours
- 36 ore - Oxana Bereshchenko
- CFU
- 6
- Course Regulation
- Coorte 2025
- Offered
- 2026/27
- Learning activities
- Affine/integrativa
- Area
- Attività formative affini o integrative
- Sector
- BIO/14
- Type of study-unit
- Obbligatorio (Required)
- Type of learning activities
- Attività formativa monodisciplinare
- Language of instruction
- Italian
- Contents
- General principles of drug action:
Pharmacokinetics
Pharmacodynamics
Main classes of drugs that act on the central nervous system. - Reference texts
- Meyer. Psicofarmacology. EDI_ERMES
F.Clementi G. Fumagalli General and Molecular Pharmacology - Educational objectives
- The lectures are aimed at studying the psychotropic drugs and providing the psychologists with tools that can be of help in managing the patient.¿ The course provides the student with an overview of the possible mechanisms of action of psychoactive molecules, from the drugs used in the treatment of the main psychological-psychiatric disorders, to the substances of abuse including those used for recreative purposes and as innovative therapies
- Prerequisites
- The course makes numerous connections with neuroscience and neuroanatomy, clinical psychology, psychiatry, so good basic knowledge related to Biology, Physiology, Neurophysiology and Psychiatry is needed.
- Teaching methods
- 36 hours of frontal lectures
- Learning verification modality
- 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 (psychopharmaceuticals). Therapeutic effect, side effect, adverse effect.
Pharmacokinetics: Basic concepts of Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, and Elimination (ADME) of drugs. Drug bioavailability. Latency period (onset of action). Routes of drug administration. Drug elimination. Half-life. Frequency of drug administration.
Pharmacodynamics: Drug–receptor interactions. Dose–response curve. Potency, efficacy, therapeutic index. Definitions of agonist and antagonist. Competitive and non-competitive antagonists. Effects of chronic drug use. Tolerance. Types of tolerance. Dependence.
Biological Molecules: DNA, RNA, proteins. Receptors. Main receptor types directly targeted by psychotropic drugs. Ionotropic receptors. Metabotropic receptors. G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Tyrosine kinase receptors. Signal transduction cascade.
Structure of the Nervous Cell. Definitions: cell, neuron, synapse, soma (cell body), dendrites, axon, axon terminals. Chemical neurotransmission. Anatomical and chemical bases of neurotransmission. Excitation–secretion coupling.
Synaptic Pharmacology: Mechanisms by which drugs can interfere with synaptic transmission. Mechanisms of neurotransmitter inactivation: enzymatic degradation and transport (reuptake). Basic principles of psychopharmacology.
Organization of the Central and Peripheral Nervous Systems.
Autonomic Nervous System. Sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. Neurotransmitters involved in sympathetic and parasympathetic transmission.
Cholinergic System: Main functions of cholinergic neurons. Synthesis and degradation of acetylcholine. Two classes of acetylcholine receptors. Mechanisms of action of cholinergic agonists and antagonists.
Dopaminergic System.
Noradrenergic System.
Serotonergic System.
Neurotransmission mediated by excitatory amino acids (glutamate). Neurotransmission mediated by inhibitory amino acids (GABAergic system).
Major Classes of Central Nervous System Drugs.
Anxiolytic and Sedative-Hypnotic Drugs. Barbiturates. Benzodiazepines. Efficacy. Side effects and toxicity. Tolerance and dependence.
Major Depressive Disorder. Etiological mechanisms. Antidepressant drugs. Types of antidepressants:
Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOIs)
Tricyclic Antidepressants (TCAs)
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs)
Other innovative antidepressants
Mechanisms of action. Indications. Side effects.
Antipsychotic Drugs. Neuroleptics: mechanisms of action and side effects. Atypical antipsychotics: mechanisms of action and neurological effects.
Mood Stabilizers.
Antiepileptic Drugs: mechanisms of action and main medications.
Pain Management. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs): mechanism of action. Opioid drugs: mechanism of action. Receptors. Endogenous opioids. Pharmacokinetics of morphine and its derivatives. Examples of opioid drugs and their uses. Adverse reactions. Withdrawal. Dependence.
Psychostimulants and Drugs of Abuse. Mechanisms of action of the main drugs of abuse. Definitions of tolerance and dependence. Psychomotor stimulants: cocaine and amphetamines. Cannabis. Psychedelics. Adverse effects and potential therapeutic uses.
Gender Pharmacology.
Pharmacology for Psychologists: What we can and cannot expect from drugs; how they can help or interfere with the work of psychologists. - Obiettivi Agenda 2030 per lo sviluppo sostenibile
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