Overview
This lecture covers pathophysiology relevant to psychiatric medications, focusing on the key neurotransmitters affected and memory tricks to help remember their functions.
Key Neurotransmitters in Psychiatric Meds
- Psychiatric drugs primarily affect dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin in the brain.
- Dopamine is related to reward, pleasure, motivation, and obsession; majorly active in the frontal cortex.
- Serotonin regulates mood, sleep, emotion, and memory, with its primary location in the hippocampus.
- Norepinephrine (noradrenaline) is the stress hormone, increases alertness, heart rate, and blood pressure, and is important in the sympathetic nervous system.
Dopamine Details
- Dopamine in the brain is mainly for determination, obsession, and pleasure ("Dope" = Determination, Obsession, Pleasure).
- The blood-brain barrier (BBB) prevents substances from entering the brain easily, protecting it from toxins.
- Dopamine’s effect in the brain differs from its effects elsewhere in the body.
Serotonin Details
- Serotonin acts like a happiness hormone, aids sleep, stabilizes emotions, and enhances memory.
- Use the "S" memory trick: Sleep, Emotion, and Memory ("Serotonin" = S).
- Hippocampus, the brain’s memory center, is where serotonin predominates.
Norepinephrine Details
- Norepinephrine is also called noradrenaline or Leva fed in medications.
- It activates the sympathetic (fight or flight) nervous system and increases blood pressure.
- Used as a last-line vasopressor in shock to prioritize blood flow to vital organs.
Study Strategies & Memory Aids
- Create note cards labeled "Dope" (Dopamine), "S" (Serotonin), and "No" (Norepinephrine) with associated memory tricks.
- Use these cards as a study reference during psychiatric pharmacology chapters.
Course & Exam Guidance
- Focus on learning how to approach and answer psychiatric medication questions.
- Practice with NCLEX-style test questions for mastery.
- Know that psychiatric pharmacology is less detailed than med-surg pharmacology but still requires understanding of terms and functions.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Dopamine — Neurotransmitter regulating reward, pleasure, and motivation.
- Serotonin — Neurotransmitter influencing mood, sleep, emotion, and memory.
- Norepinephrine (Noradrenaline) — Stress hormone controlling alertness and blood pressure.
- Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB) — A filter protecting the brain from toxins in the blood.
- Sympathetic Nervous System — "Fight or flight" system increasing heart rate/blood pressure.
- Hippocampus — Brain region associated with memory.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Create note cards for dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine using provided memory devices.
- Watch the following psychiatric medication videos.
- Request additional videos if more diagnosis-specific information is needed.