One of the most informative approaches in the study of physiological functions is pharmacological analysis. Evaluating changes in physiological parameters under conditions of targeted action of pharmacological agents on various molecular structures of cells, the researcher can trace the subcellular mechanisms of physiological processes (Pei et al., 2019). The method is based on the use of polar ligands of postsynaptic receptors to various mediators and other pharmacological agents. Agonists activate receptors to produce the desired pharmacological effect; they increase the proportion of activated receptors (Berg & Clarke, 2018). Antagonists enhance cellular function when they block the action of a substance that would normally inhibit this function.
Ionic channels provide the selective movement of specific ions across the plasma membrane in cells. In particular, in nerve cells, along with ion carriers, they are responsible for maintaining the electrochemical gradient in the cell. G-proteins are a family of intracellular proteins capable of mediating signal transduction pathways (Senese et al., 2018). Each of them is a heterotrimer of three subunits: α-, β- and γ-subunits. Mutations in G proteins have been shown to cause diseases such as epilepsy, muscle disease, neurological disease, and chronic pain.
Epigenetics is a promising direction in modern science, which, probably in the near future, may allow controlling at least part of genes. Now, this growing area is helping clinicians recognize how changes relate to disease. The biomarkers used in this science make it possible to improve the efficiency of drug development since preclinical and clinical trials get more efficient, take less time and become safer.
Due to the development of neuroscience, people can now experiment with finding ways to stimulate the brain, improve memory, increase attention and mathematical abilities. In addition, ready-made sets of drugs have already appeared on sale. However, issues related to drugs prescription require special regulation, as the release of such medications itself needs control (Volkow & Boyle, 2018). Scientists are faced with a significant and responsible task – to carry out the neurobiological revolution honestly and safely.
References
Berg, K. A., & Clarke, W. P. (2018). Making sense of pharmacology: Inverse agonism and functional selectivity. The international journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, 21(10), 962–977. Web.
Senese, N. B., Rasenick, M. M., & Traynor, J. R. (2018). The role of g-proteins and g-protein regulating proteins in depressive disorders. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 9, 1289. Web.
Pei, F., Li, H., Liu, B., & Bahar, I. (2019). Quantitative systems pharmacological analysis of drugs of abuse reveals the pleiotropy of their targets and the effector role of mTORC1. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 10, 1-26. Web.
Volkow, N. D., & Boyle, M. (2018). Neuroscience of addiction: Relevance to prevention and treatment. The American journal of psychiatry, 175(8), 729–740. Web.