Neuropharmacology

Neuropharmacology is the scientific study of the effects of drugs on the nervous system. Its primary focus is the actions of medications for psychiatric and neurologic disorders as well as those of drugs of abuse. Neuropharmacology also uses drugs as tools to form a better understanding of normal nervous system functioning.

There are two main branches of neuropharmacology:

Behavioral neuropharmacology: Which focuses on the study of how drugs affect human behavior (neuropsychopharmacology), including the study of how drug dependence and addiction affect the human brain.

Molecular neuropharmacology: Which helps in developing drugs that have beneficial effects on neurological function by studying the of neurons and neurochemical interactions.

These filed are closely connected, since both are concerned with the interactions of neuropeptides, enzymes, neurohormones, second messengers, neuromodulators, neurotransmitters, co-transporters, ion-channels and receptor proteins in the central and peripheral nervous systems.

The history of neuropharmacology is started with just four drugs and now innumerable drugs are approved being available in clinical practices for neurologist. Drugs are the chemical

substances that are characterized in four groups. The first group in which drugs acts as pharmacodynamic agent i.e., sedatives, analgesics etc. The second involves the drugs that act on central nervous system i.e., antidepressant, hypnotic drugs etc. The third category includes the drugs that have chemotherapeutic action i.e., sulfonamides, antimicrobial etc. The last groups involved the supplementary agents like vitamins.

Brain imaging, both PET and fMRI, are now being used for study of drug action on the brain in vivo. To guide a maintenance of proper doses and blood levels of some CNS drugs, therapeutic drug monitoring is important.

The goal of neuropharmacology is to apply information about drugs and their mechanisms of action to develop safer, more effective treatments and eventually curative and preventive measures for a host of nervous system abnormalities. Drugs that act on the nervous system, including antidepressant, antianxiety, anticonvulsant, and antipsychotic agents, are among the most widely prescribed medications. These medications help in treating many different neurological disorders, including pain, neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease, psychological disorders, addiction, and many others.