Central Nervous System Regulation, Mood, and Cognition
Central Nervous System Regulation, Mood, and Cognition
8.1 CNS Regulation, Mood, and Cognition Introduction
Learning Objectives
- Identify the classifications and actions of drugs related to the central nervous system (CNS), mood, and cognition
- Consider examples of when, how, and to whom CNS, mood and cognition drugs may be administered
- Identify the side effects and special considerations associated with CNS, mood, and cognitive therapy
- Identify considerations and implications of using CNS, mood, and cognitive medications across the lifespan
- Consider evidence-based concepts when using the nursing process, clinical reasoning, and decision-making related to medications that affect the CNS, mood, and cognition.
Key Terms
- action potential
- acute dystonia
- affect
- akathisia
- anxiety
- blood-brain barrier
- bradykinesia
- central nervous system
- chemical synapse
- cognition
- "DRESS"
- dystonia
- electrical synapse
- extrapyramidal symptoms
- gait disturbance
- hypertensive crisis
- mania
- mood
- nerve
- neuroleptic malignant syndrome
- neurons
- mechanism of action
- methicillin-resistant S. aureus
- narrow-spectrum antimicrobial
- pathogen
- prototype
- resistance
- sensitivity analysis
- superinfection
- synergistic interaction
- time dependent
- trough
- vancomycin-resistant S. aureus
The nervous system is a very complex organ system. Even though progress has continued at an amazing rate within the scientific discipline of neuroscience, our understanding of the intricacies within this science is limited. The nervous system may be just too complex for us to completely understand, and you may notice evidence of this within some of the “Mechanisms of Action” statements later in this chapter where exact understanding is unknown. The complexity of the nervous system and understanding of the brain can make treating and preventing diseases that affect this system complicated.[1]
- This work is a derivative of Anatomy and Physiology by OpenStax licensed under CC BY 4.0. Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/anatomy-and-physiology/pages/1-introduction ↵
A change in voltage of a cell membrane in response to a stimulus that results in transmission of an electrical signal; unique to neurons and muscle fibers.
Painful muscle spasms.
the observable response a person has to his or her own feelings, [1]
Distressing motor restlessness.
an alert to the human condition of impending doom, either real or imagined, and is accompanied by autonomic responses that serve as protective [2].
A nearly impenetrable barricade that is built from a tightly woven mesh of capillaries cemented together to protect the brain from potentially dangerous substances such as poisons or viruses.
Slowness in initiation and execution of voluntary movements.
Anatomical division of the nervous system located within the cranial and vertebral cavities, namely the brain and spinal cord.
Connection between two neurons, or between a neuron and its target, where a neurotransmit