Psychopharmacology: Introduction

• Neurochemistry focuses on brain chemistry, usually at a molecular level and without reference to overt behavior. Topics such as neural metabolism and chemical aspects of neural function are within the domain of neurochemistry (see Figure 1).
• Neuropharmacology emphasizes studying the effects of various drugs on brain function, usually with reference to neurotransmitter/neuromodulator systems. A frequent objective of neuropharmacology research is to link neurochemical events to behavior and to other psychological processes, although the study of neural systems qua systems is also vigorously pursued.
• Behavioral pharmacology emphasizes the effects of drugs on overt behavior, although a somewhat more specialized meaning has emerged within the field. Many research use behavioral pharmacology to describe the effects of drugs on ‘on-going’ behavior. That is, behavior governed by other events, such as operant schedules of reinforcement; the focus is sometimes on the effects of a drug on a specific behavior rather than the behavioral effects elicited by the drug.

Figure 1: NO pathway. Copyright 1996 by DOJINDO Laboratories
 

Medications develop has revolutionized the treatment of many neurological and psychological disorders. For example, the introduction of L-DOPA therapy has dramatically increased the quality of life for thousands of Parkinson’s disease patients. The advent of anxiolytics help people to cope with perceived stress and increases the window of opportunity for effective cognitive-behavioral therapy. And perhaps most dramatically, the introduction of effective antipsychotic medications has drastically reduced the number of psychiatric patients residing in mental institutions (see Figure 2).
 
 
 

Figure 2: Number of patients in nonfederal psychiatric hospitals in the United States.
From Palfai and Jankiewicz (1997).