AP PSYCHOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Low doses of barbiturates can lower anxiety levels and relieve tension. Higher doses can decrease the heart rate and blood pressure. Barbiturates have some severe drawbacks, including: Potentially dangerous interactions with other drugs.

Detailed explanation-2: -Barbiturates are depressant drugs that slow down the central nervous system (CNS), and they are commonly used to treat issues like anxiety, headaches, insomnia, and seizures. Some can also be used as an effective anesthesia.

Detailed explanation-3: -Specifically, barbiturates depress the central nervous system by enhancing the activity of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter that suppresses any generated nerve impulse, thus creating an overall depression of the central nervous system.

Detailed explanation-4: -Barbiturates are medications that cause you to relax or feel drowsy. They can also stop or prevent convulsions and seizures. The most common uses are for anesthesia reasons, treating epilepsy and nonepileptic seizures, insomnia and other conditions. Barbiturates belong to the sedative-hypnotic class of medications.

Detailed explanation-5: -Barbiturates reduce cerebral activity which again reduce the cerebral metabolic rate probably by activating chloride channels and potentiating GABA’s effects on these channels. Protection of the brain against hypoxia might theoretically occur by this mechanism, by vasoconstriction or by inhibiting calcium or glutamate.