Intro
Agonistic Drug Effects: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
Antagonist Drug Effects: 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11

Part 1: Image-Mapped Tutorial
Part 2: Matching Self-Test
Part 3: Multiple-Choice Self-Test

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7. One class of drugs decreases the synthesis of neurotransmitter molecules. This may occur through the inhibition of enzymes used in the synthetic process. For example, AMPT (alpha-methyltyrosine) blocks the enzyme that converts the amino tyrosine to L-dopa. This enzymatic block ultimately results in the decreased production of the catecholamines, dopamine and norepinephrine. As noted earlier, the dendrites of a neuron contain autoreceptors. These autoreceptors inhibit neurotransmitter synthesis when stimulated. Some drugs included in this class stimulate these autoreceptors thereby decreasing the production of neurotransmitters.