20.6k views
3 votes
All psychoactive drugs either mimic or disrupt naturally occurring neurotransmitters by

User Emomaliev
by
8.5k points

1 Answer

3 votes

Final answer:

Psychoactive drugs can act as agonists or antagonists for a given neurotransmitter system. Agonists mimic neurotransmitters, while antagonists block or impede their activity.

Step-by-step explanation:

Psychoactive drugs can act as agonists or antagonists for a given neurotransmitter system. Agonists are chemicals that mimic a neurotransmitter at the receptor site. An antagonist, on the other hand, blocks or impedes the normal activity of a neurotransmitter at the receptor. Agonists and antagonists represent drugs that are prescribed to correct the specific neurotransmitter imbalances underlying a person's condition.

For example, Parkinson's disease, a progressive nervous system disorder, is associated with low levels of dopamine. Therefore, a common treatment strategy for Parkinson's disease involves using dopamine agonists, which mimic the effects of dopamine by binding to dopamine receptors.

User Clumpter
by
8.1k points