TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - Basic Principles of Neuropharmacology A1 - Nestler, Eric J. A1 - Hyman, Steven E. A1 - Holtzman, David M. A1 - Malenka, Robert C. PY - 2015 T2 - Molecular Neuropharmacology: A Foundation for Clinical Neuroscience, 3e AB - An understanding of drug action in the brain must integrate knowledge of the molecular and cellular actions of a drug with their effects on brain circuitry.The clinical actions of a drug in the brain often are due to neural plasticity—the long-term adaptations of neurons to the sustained short-term actions of a drug.The binding of a drug to its specific target(s) normally is saturable and stereoselective.The specific binding of a drug to its target is quantified according to its affinity for the target, expressed as a dissociation constant (Kd), and the total amount of binding (Bmax).Potency of a drug describes the strength of binding between the drug and its target; efficacy describes the maximal biologic effects that the drug exerts by binding to its target.Drugs can be classified as agonists, partial agonists, inverse agonists, partial inverse agonists, or antagonists.Modern neuropharmacology takes advantage of the tools of molecular biology, genetics, and cell biology as well as combinatorial chemistry, which is used to generate novel molecules that may function as new drugs.Functional genomics and proteomics will help identify novel drug targets.Pharmacogenetics will guide the choice of drug treatments based on an individual’s genetic constitution. SN - PB - McGraw-Hill Education CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2024/03/29 UR - neurology.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1105914897 ER -