If you are regular reader of our blog then you already know about the four stages of medication, routes for medicine administration, and what happens to the medicine in digestive system, circulatory system, and tissues and cells.
Medication and the Brain
As you know, medication we take enters into the blood stream and circulated throughout the body. It travels to various organs including brain. Some medications can affect the functionality of chemical called neurotransmitters. These chemicals control signal being sent and received between brain cells called neurons. There are specialized neurotransmitters that are responsible for your feelings and moods.
Brain Blood Barrier
There is a blood-brain barrier in place that prevents medicines from getting the access to the brain. This barrier also blocks toxins, bacteria and other unwanted molecules to protect the brain from potential damages. However, sometimes infections can infiltrate this line of defense. The molecules of anti-biotic are larger in size and are blocked by BBB. Therefore, these antibiotics cannot fight bacteria. However, the infection causes inflammation which further weakens the barrier and allows anti-biotic molecules to filter through.
Medicines with Fat Soluble Properties
There is another way for getting through the blood brain barrier. There are some medications that require the direct access to the brain. These medicines are fat soluble medicines and can easily get through the defense of the BBB. The brain blood barrier is deliberately weak in some areas of the brain. In these areas, the brain monitors the composition of blood and makes necessary adjustments in the blood. There are some diseases and conditions that weaken this barrier to a dangerous level. This allows harmful chemicals and toxins to pass though the brain blood barrier.
Disease and Conditions That Weaken the Brain Blood Barrier
- Hypertension
- Infections
- Inflammation
- Ischaemia
- Head trauma
- Meningitis
- Epilepsy
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Multiple sclerosis
- Viruses
- HIV Encephalitis
- Abnormal pressure around the brain
- Very high and prolonged exposure to radiation and microwaves
When you are preparing or appearing for a medical entrance exam, you can find multiple choice questions about medicines. You can search and practice MCQ questions for medical students online or you can download Synap for creating, sharing and practicing medical quizzes on your Smartphone. This application allows students to create quizzes and study circles for sharing their knowledge with their classmates. Teachers can use this application to create private classrooms for their students.
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