RT Book, Section A1 Ciccone, Charles D. SR Print(0) ID 1135034796 T1 General Principles of Central Nervous System Pharmacology T2 Pharmacology in Rehabilitation YR 2016 FD 2016 PB F. A. Davis Company PP New York, NY SN 9780803640290 LK fadavisat.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1135034796 RD 2024/10/09 AB The central nervous system (CNS) is responsible for controlling bodily functions, and it is the center for behavioral and intellectual abilities. Neurons within the CNS are organized into highly complex patterns that mediate information through synaptic interactions. Clinicians prescribe CNS drugs to modify the activity of these neurons in order to treat specific disorders or to alter the general level of arousal of the CNS. This chapter presents a simplified introduction to the organization of the CNS and the general drug strategies medical practitioners use to alter activity within the brain and spinal cord. This chapter is not intended to be an extensive review of neuroanatomy and neurophysiology; the references at the end of this chapter include several excellent resources on this topic.1–3 However, this chapter will review certain neuroanatomical and neurophysiological concepts that will help you understand how drugs can affect CNS function. These concepts will likewise be important when we examine the actions of specific CNS drugs in the next several chapters in this book.