Posted by Sam on January 21, 2000, at 18:20:35
In reply to Re: what the heck is a partial agonist?, posted by michael on January 20, 2000, at 19:12:26
The "availability" of serotonin or other neurotransmitter is not usually effected much by agonists or antagonists of the postsynaptic receptors. What would determine the "availability" would be the production and storage of the neurotransmitter (in the cell), the reuptake of the neurotransmitter, (absorbtion back into the cell), and the enzymatic degradation of the free neurotransmitter in the synaptic cleft (gap between pre and postsynapse) by MAO or COMT etc.. The neurotransmitter concentration in the synaptic cleft can be increased by antagonism of the reuptake receptors (reuptake antagonist, reuptake inhibitor) which has about the same effect as a postsynaptic agonist. Some drugs can effect several of these mechanisms at once.
poster:Sam
thread:19073
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000112/msgs/19362.html