Question

It seems that all your classes have tests and papers due on the same day. You don’t know how you’re going to get everything done before it’s time to leave for spring break. You tell your friend Sam, and he tells you to speak to his “friend” Mike. Sam declares that “Mike just might have something that will help you out.” You agree, although you aren’t really sure what Sam is referring to. You meet up with Sam’s “friend,” and he seems to be bouncing off  the walls, talking a mile a minute. He says he can offer you some stuff  that will increase your alertness, help you pull a few all-nighters, and even put you in a much better mood. He drops some white powder onto a mirror and divides it into little lines and asks if you would like a sample. What drug is Mike abusing and offering you?

4. Determine what neurotransmitter is involved with the drug the individual in your case has been using and what led you to believe this.  As a bonus, see if you can identify the particular drug.

5. Determine what the subjective effects of the drug are (i.e., what has a person reported feeling after using the drug).

6. Determine what receptors, transporters, or neurotransmitters could be involved and how the drug affects these receptors, transporters, or neurotransmitters.

Answer 1

4. a) The Nuerotransmitter invovled is GABA (gamma-Aminobutyric acid) involved in the drug used by the indiviual.

b) Commonly used drugs that are antagonist to GABA receptors are bicuculline, securinine and metrazol.

5. The person will feel active because of the induced nerve impulse due to the block in GABA receptor. GABA is the inhibitory compund of CNS. Prolonged or higher doses can cause convulsions or epilepsy.

6. Receptor: GABA receptor (A and B subtypes)

Transporter: Solute carrier 6 (SLC6) (sodium sympoters)

Neurotransmitter: GABA

Competitive agonists bind to the receptor-channel complex's GABA recognition site and act as an allosteric channel opening inhibitor. The net effect is to reduce GABA-mediated synaptic inhibition by inhibiting chloride flux across the cell membrane, thus inhibiting neuronal hyperpolarisation.