Author: Glossary

Non–rapid eye movement sleep. The acronym for nonrapid eye movement sleep, the sleep phase characterized by reduced brain activity, is NREM sleep. NREM sleep and REM sleep alternate during the night. A typical sleep cycle consists of approximately 75% NREM sleep and 25% REM sleep.  

Science of the classification of disorders, usually medical. The naming and classification of diseases. The branch of medical science that deals with the classification (scheme) of diseases. The science of description or classification of diseases.  

A tricyclic antidepressant medication used to treat depression and certain anxiety disorders. Marketed under the brand names aventyl and pamelor. A drug used to reduce pain and as an antidepressant and tranquilliser. Adverse effects include sedation, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, and neurological reactions, and the possibility of drug interaction if taken with other drugs. An antidepressant. Nortriptyline…

Brand name for the tricyclic antidepressant drug desipramine.  

A class of medications (also called selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors or norepinephrine specific reuptake inhibitors) that increase levels of the neurotransmitters norepinephrine and epinephrine by blocking the action of the norepinephrine transporter and hence the reuptake of neurotransmitters back into neurons. NRIs may be used in the clinical treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy…

A class of medications that increase the levels of both norepinephrine and dopamine, inhibiting their reabsorption back into presynaptic neurons. Examples of NDRIs include the mild central nervous system (CNS) stimulants dexmethylphenidate and methylphenidate.  

A class of atypical antidepressants that exert their effects by antagonizing presynaptic alpha2 receptors of both noradrenergic and serotonergic neurons, resulting in enhanced neurotransmission of norepinephrine and serotonin. NaSSAs are used primarily for the treatment of depression and anxiety disorders. An example of an NaSSA is mirtazapine (remeron).  

Referring to the neurotransmitter norepinephrine (noradrenaline).  

A class of drugs that inhibit the action of the nmda (n-methyl-d-aspartic acid) receptor. Examples include ketamine and phencyclidine (PCP) (often used illicitly for recreational purposes), memantine (used to treat the symptoms of alzheimer’s disease), and amantadine (used to treat side effects of conventional antipsychotic medications, especially dystonia and akathisia).