Deck 4: Properties of Drugs

Question 1

A sustained level of drug in the body is referred to as ____.

A) homeostasis
C) bioavailability
B) steady state
D) half-life

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Physicians rely on drug elimination rates when ____.

A) prescribing how frequently a patient should take a medication
B) prescribing the appropriate dose of a medication
C) determining the likelihood of high efficacy
D) determining the most effective route of administration

Answer 2

A

Question 3

How are most therapeutic drugs administered?

A) oral route
C) inhalation
B) intravenously
D) sublingually

Answer 3

A

Question 4

The distribution phase of pharmacokinetics affects a drug's ____, which is the ability of a drug to reach a site of action.

A) pharmacodynamics
C) efficacy
B) bioavailability
D) absorption

Question 5

Entry of a drug into the circulatory system is referred to as ____.

A) elimination
C) distribution
B) metabolism
D) absorption

Question 6

The passage of drug from bloodstream into organs is referred to as ____.

A) elimination
C) distribution
B) metabolism
D) absorption

Question 7

Drug conversion most often takes place in the ____.

A) liver
C) stomach
B) small intestine
D) kidneys

Question 8

Why is the study of pharmacokinetics so important?

A) A treatment is useless if the drug cannot reach its site of action.
B) Designing drugs with high efficacy is vital for any therapeutic strategy.
C) Minimizing the side effects of drugs is essential.
D) Cost-effective chemical synthesis procedures will allow greater access to drugs.

Question 9

Dr. Feinstein is developing a psychoactive drug. What property is most essential for this drug?

A) crossing the blood-brain barrier
C) highly metabolized by the liver
B) high rate of absorption
D) limited nonspecific binding

Question 10

The mechanisms of action for a drug is best described by the term ____.

A) pharmacogenetics
C) pharmacokinetics
B) pharmacovigilance
D) pharmacodynamics

Question 11

The process by which a drug leaves the body is referred to as ____.

A) elimination
C) distribution
B) metabolism
D) absorption

Question 12

Research assistant Paulina finds that the newly developed psychoactive drug Cerebroflow has high nonspecific binding. When the levels of Cerebroflow are analyzed in the brain, what is Paulina likely to find?

A) high levels of Cerebroflow; nonspecific binding facilitates crossing the blood-brain barrier
B) low levels of Cerebroflow; nonspecific binding hinders crossing the blood-brain barrier
C) high levels of Cerebroflow; nonspecific binding increases likelihood of drug finding its target
D) low levels of Cerebroflow; nonspecific binding prevents drug from binding to proteins

Question 13

The four primary stages of a drug's pharmacokinetic properties are: absorption, distribution, metabolism, and ____.

A) reabsorption
C) elimination
B) permeation
D) conjugation

Question 14

Joaquin takes the antipsychotic drug quetiapine (Seroquel). Enzymes in his body convert the drug to N-desalkylquetiapine, which functions as an antidepressant drug. Which statement is true?

A) Both quetiapine and N-desalkylquetiapine and prodrugs.
B) Both quetiapine and N-desalkylquetiapine are active metabolites.
C) Quetiapine is the prodrug and N-desalkylquetiapine is the active metabolite.
D) Quetiapine is the active metabolite and N-desalkylquetiapine is the prodrug.

Question 15

A half-life of the drug is the duration of time necessary for the body to ____ half of the drug.

A) distribute
C) metabolize
B) absorb
D) eliminate

Question 16

Dr. Lakeland is designing a drug that will be administered orally to patients. What challenge does this pose for Dr. Lakeland?

A) Digestive acids work very slowly to dissolve drugs.
B) First-pass metabolism is bypassed.
C) Chance of side effects are increased.
D) Effects of drug are delayed.

Question 17

For many psychoactive drugs, pharmacodynamics deal largely with the biological effects of a drug ____.

A) within the cytoplasm
C) at the synapses
B) at the axon hillock
D) in the soma

Question 18

Alexis takes the antianxiety drug buspirone. Before it reaches its site of action, 90% of the buspirone is metabolized, greatly reducing the amount of drug available for its biological effects. What is this process termed?

A) nonessential metabolism
C) first-pass metabolism
B) second round conversion
D) drug-biproduct conversion

Question 19

Who is most likely an ultrarapid metabolizer?

A) Sharon, who has very high levels of CYP-3 cytochrome P450
B) Marc, who has a polymorphism decreasing the activity of CYP-2 cytochrome P450
C) Kip, who requires a very low dose of ibuprofen for it to be effective
D) Sava, who experienced extreme side effects from an otherwise low dose of loperamide

Question 20

Dr. Allister is interested in designing a drug that rapidly enters the bloodstream. As an expert in psychopharmacology, you recommend the administration route with the quickest absorption, namely ____.

A) inhalation
C) intramuscular
B) transdermal
D) intravenous

Question 21

A drug that binds to a receptor, but weakly shifts the receptor into an active state, is referred to as a(n) ____.

A) partial agonist
C) antagonist
B) inverse agonist
D) agonist

Question 22

Which drug will lead to increased dopamine levels by blocking its metabolism?

A) haloperidol
C) L-DOPA
B) moclobemide
D) amphetamine

Question 23

Which drug expels dopamine from its storage vesicles?

A) haloperidol
C) L-DOPA
B) moclobemide
D) amphetamine

Question 24

What is the mechanism of action of a negative modulator?

A) fully inhibits receptor activity
B) fails to fully activate receptor
C) competes with the binding of natural ligand
D) decreases the binding affinity of ligand

Question 25

How does the K_i value differ from the K_d value?

A) The K_i value represents the concentration of nonradioactive compound that caused the radioactive compound to provide 50 percent receptor occupancy.
B) The K_i value refers to the amount of drug that occupies 50 percent of receptors.
C) The K_d value is the dissociation constant; K_i is the binding constant.
D) The K_i value represents the concentration of radioactive compound that caused the nonradioactive compound to provide 50 percent receptor occupancy.

Question 26

Alex studies ionotropic NMDA receptors, which open (become activated) when glutamate binds to the receptor. He finds that magnesium inhibits the channel even when glutamate is bound because it blocks the opening of the NMDA channel. What is the best description of magnesium?

A) competitive antagonist
C) inverse agonist
B) noncompetitive antagonist
D) partial agonist

Question 27

Dr. Petrova performs a radioligand binding assay and determines the following K_i values: Drug A, 50 nM; Drug B, 25 nM; Drug C, 75 nM. Which drug has the greatest binding affinity?

A) Cannot determine
C) Drug B
B) Drug A
D) Drug C

Question 28

The drug kainite binds to the glutamate ionotropic AMPA GluR4 receptor. The amount of ions that kainite causes to flow through the channel are far less than its natural ligand, glutamate, allows through the channel. In this scenario, what is kainite?

A) competitive antagonist
C) inverse agonist
B) noncompetitive antagonist
D) partial agonist

Question 29

A drug that binds to a receptor but fails to shift the receptor into an active state is referred to as a(n) ____.

A) partial agonist
C) antagonist
B) inverse agonist
D) agonist

Question 30

The term which describes a drug's strength of binding to a receptor is ____.

A) receptor efficacy
C) binding affinity
B) excitatory constant
D) therapeutic index

Question 31

The term which describes a drug's ability to alter the activity of a receptor is ____.

A) receptor efficacy
C) binding affinity
B) excitatory constant
D) therapeutic index

Question 32

A drug binding to a receptor that is constitutively active, but inhibits this activity, is referred to as a(n) ____.

A) partial agonist
C) antagonist
B) inverse agonist
D) agonist

Question 33

Glutamate's NMDA-receptor is activated in response to the binding of glutamate. However, the NMDA receptor also requires D-serine to be tightly bound on a distant receptor site. Without bound D-serine, glutamate cannot activate NMDA receptors. The site to which D-serine binds is referred to as a(n) ____ site.

A) second messenger
C) allosteric
B) catalytic domain
D) g-protein

Question 34

Graduate student Molly applies the drug tetrodotoxin to the bathing solution of cultured neurons. What effect will this drug have on the neurons?

A) It will prevent action potentials.
B) It will block neurotransmitter release.
C) It will inhibit excitatory postsynaptic receptors.
D) It will prolong the refractory period.

Question 35

Stan was recently diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Which drug will his physician prescribe to increase Stan's synthesis of dopamine?

A) haloperidol
C) L-DOPA
B) moclobemide
D) amphetamine

Question 36

Undergraduate student Chandra is beginning a research project on drugs of abuse. She learns that cocaine induces its biological effects by ____.

A) inhibiting COMT activity
C) acting as a dopamine receptor agonist
B) blocking the dopamine transporter
D) reversing dopamine transporter activity

Question 37

A drug that binds to a receptor and causes the receptor to shift into a fully active state is referred to as a(n) ____.

A) partial agonist
C) antagonist
B) inverse agonist
D) agonist

Question 38

Stewart takes alprazolam (Xanax) to treat his generalized anxiety disorder. What is the mechanism of action of this drug at the GABA_A receptor?

A) positive modulator
C) partial agonist
B) negative modulator
D) inverse agonist

Question 39

Which drug blocks the biological actions of dopamine by inhibiting dopamine receptors?

A) haloperidol
C) L-DOPA
B) moclobemide
D) amphetamine

Question 40

Dr. Fatima is developing a model of receptor activity that accounts for the regulation of the D₂ receptor and corresponding G-protein modulation in the presence of different D₂ receptor ligands (agonist, antagonist, partial agonist, and inverse agonist). This model is referred to as a ____.

A) ternary receptor model
C) receptor modulation model
B) drug receptor interactive model
D) tertiary complex model

Question 41

Dr. Lopez finds that a chemical, chemX, found in many household detergents may cause neuronopathy. What does this mean?

A) ChemX causes the destruction of myelin sheathing.
B) ChemX disrupts neuronal communication.
C) ChemX leads to the destruction of neurons.
D) ChemX blocks the proliferation of new neurons.

Question 42

The amount of drug that fully binds to a population of receptors is referred to as the ____.

A) K_d
C) K_max
B) B_d
D) B_max

Question 43

Why is sarin gas classified as a neurotoxin?

A) It blocks DOPA decarboxylase activity, resulting in motor impairment.
B) It hyperactivates NMDA receptors, resulting in excitotoxicity.
C) It inhibits glutamate dehydrogenase, resulting in neuronal damage.
D) It inhibits acetylcholinesterase, resulting in impaired breathing.

Question 44

Adaption to a drug's effects that requires a user to take greater doses of a drug to achieve the same desired drug effects is referred to as ____.

A) drug abuse
C) tolerance
B) dependence
D) sensitization

Question 45

What describes all chemical substances that bind to receptors?

A) agonist
C) neurotransmitter
B) ligand
D) drug

Question 46

When a reduced amount of drug reaches its site of action, this is referred to as ____ tolerance.

A) pharmacodynamic
C) phsyiobehavioral
B) pharmacokinetic
D) cross

Question 47

When tolerance effects for a drug carry over to drugs with similar biological actions, this is referred to as ____ tolerance.

A) pharmacodynamic
C) phsyiobehavioral
B) pharmacokinetic
D) cross

Question 48

Lead exposure can damage neurons and is most known for contributing to ____.

A) Alzheimer's disease in the elderly
B) learning problems in children
C) Parkinsonian syndrome
D) infertility and birth defects

Question 49

Muriel's graduate thesis advisor asks her to design an experiment to measure G-protein activity in a neuroblastoma cell line. Muriel comes to you for advice. What type of experiment do you recommend that she conduct?

A) [³⁵S]GTP γS binding assay
B) high performance liquid chromatography
C) radioligand binding assay
D) competition assay

Question 50

When there is a reduced responsiveness of a drug at a its site of action, this is referred to as ____ tolerance.

A) pharmacodynamic
C) phsyiobehavioral
B) pharmacokinetic
D) cross

Question 51

Describe the study conducted by Siegel and colleagues (1982) that provides a potential explanation for why a chronic heroin user's normal heroin dose would cause an overdose. Include in your answer an analysis of the role of environmental stimuli and tolerance in Siegel's interpretation of the results.

Question 52

Graduate student Ariana performs a radioligand binding assay to assess competition between two different drugs working at the same receptor. What type of value will Ariana calculate?

A) K_i
C) EC₅₀
B) K_d
D) IC₅₀

Question 53

An environmental neurotoxicologist is most likely to study ____.

A) therapeutic strategies to treat neurodegenerative disease
B) the interaction of natural ligands with receptors
C) manufacturing practices of chemical plants
D) chemicals in household products that disrupt brain functioning

Question 54

An example of a withdrawal symptom that indicates physical dependence is ____.

A) mania
C) a drug craving
B) nausea
D) a change in behavior

Question 55

When a user needs a drug to function normally, this is referred to as ____.

A) drug abuse
C) tolerance
B) dependence
D) sensitization

Question 56

Carol is a chronic user of heroine. When she stops using heroine, she becomes irritable and has very strong cravings for the drug. These symptoms are characteristic of ____ dependence.

A) sensitized
C) physical
B) cross tolerance
D) psychological

Question 57

Postdoctoral research fellow Camilla performs a radioligand binding assay. After assessing radioactivity with a scintillation counter, she finds that her radioactive counts are very low. What does this mean?

A) The radioligand bound to many receptors, preventing it from passing through the filter.
B) The radioligand bound to many receptors, allowing it to be retrieved from the filter.
C) The radioligand bound to few receptors, preventing it being retrieved from the filter.
D) The radioligand bound to few receptors, allowing it to pass through the filter.

Question 58

An increase in responsiveness to a drug's effects is referred to as ____.

A) drug abuse
C) tolerance
B) dependence
D) sensitization

Question 59

Withdrawal symptoms often result from the body's ____.

A) depleted supply of nonessential amino acids in response to chronic drug use
B) nonreversible ligand-receptor interactions for many drugs of abuse
C) compensatory adaptive changes to a drug's actions
D) conversion of a drug into active metabolites

Question 60

Create a diagram that illustrates how the ternary receptor model elucidates the actions of agonists, antagonists, partial agonists, and inverse agonists. Include a discussion of how each class of drug (e.g., agonist, antagonist, partial agonist, and inverse agonist) induces a biological effect by using specific examples as discussed in the text.