TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - Neurotransmission in the Central Nervous System A1 - Free, R. Benjamin A1 - Underhill, Suzanne M. A1 - Amara, Susan G. A1 - Sibley, David R. A2 - Brunton, Laurence L. A2 - Knollmann, Björn C. Y1 - 2023 N1 - T2 - Goodman & Gilman's: The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics, 14th Edition AB - The brain is a complex assembly of interacting cells that regulate many of life’s activities in a dynamic fashion, generally through a communication process termed neurotransmission. Because the CNS drives so many physiological responses, it stands to reason that centrally acting drugs are invaluable for a plethora of conditions. CNS-acting drugs are used not only to treat anxiety, depression, mania, and schizophrenia, but also to target diverse pathophysiological conditions such as pain, fever, movement disorders, insomnia, eating disorders, nausea, vomiting, and migraine. However, as the CNS dictates such diverse physiology, the recreational use of some CNS-acting drugs can and does lead to physical dependence (see Chapter 28) with enormous societal impacts. The sheer breadth of physiological and pathological activities mediated by drug molecules acting in the CNS makes this class of therapeutics both wide-ranging and important. SN - PB - McGraw-Hill Education CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2024/03/28 UR - accessanesthesiology.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1193229145 ER -