Neuromuscular Blockade - General Pharmacology

Neuromuscular Blockade - General Pharmacology is a topic covered in the Clinical Anesthesia Procedures.

To view the entire topic, please or .

Anesthesia Central is an all-in-one web and mobile solution for treating patients before, during, and after surgery. This collection of drugs, procedures, and test information is derived from Davis’s Drug, MGH Clinical Anesthesia Procedures, Pocket Guide to Diagnostic Tests, and PRIME Journals. Explore these free sample topics:

-- The first section of this topic is shown below --

Cholinergic receptors

Cholinergic receptors are categorized as nicotinic and muscarinic by their responses to the alkaloids nicotine and muscarine, respectively. There are two main classes of nicotinic cholinergic receptors, muscular (found at the NMJ) and neuronal (found in autonomic ganglia, at end-organ sites of parasympathetic nerves, and in the central nervous system). Since the cholinergic receptors have different subunit composition, most drugs bind to them with different affinity and have different effects. Only ACh and drugs working by producing ACh (AChE inhibitors) are agonists at all of them.

-- To view the remaining sections of this topic, please or --

Cholinergic receptors

Cholinergic receptors are categorized as nicotinic and muscarinic by their responses to the alkaloids nicotine and muscarine, respectively. There are two main classes of nicotinic cholinergic receptors, muscular (found at the NMJ) and neuronal (found in autonomic ganglia, at end-organ sites of parasympathetic nerves, and in the central nervous system). Since the cholinergic receptors have different subunit composition, most drugs bind to them with different affinity and have different effects. Only ACh and drugs working by producing ACh (AChE inhibitors) are agonists at all of them.

There's more to see -- the rest of this topic is available only to subscribers.