At work recently we’ve been editing materials about sleep disorders and their treatments, especially in elderly patients. Last week a set of slides on that topic netted lots of cool-sounding medical words:
suprachiasmatic nuclei - A pair of neuron clusters in the hypothalamus [in the brain] that receive light input from the retina via the optic nerve and that regulate the body’s circadian rhythms.
alpha synucleinopathies - A class of neurodegenerative disorders (such as Parkinson’s disease, certain types of dementia, and multiple system atrophy) that are caused by alpha-synuclein (alpha-SN) accumulating on vulnerable neurons.
fluoxetine - An antidepressant drug that enhances serotonin activity (better known as Prozac).
mirtazapine - A tetracyclic antidepressant (better known as Remeron).
venlafaxine - An antidepressant drug that acts by inhibiting the reuptake of serotonin and norepinephrine by neurons (better known as Effexor).
pramipexole - A dopamine agonist used treat the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (better known as Mirapex).
anticholinesterase inhibitors - A class of drugs that decrease breakdown of the acetylcholine (a chemical messenger in the brain) and can be used in conditions where there is an apparent lack of this messenger transmission, such as in Alzheimer’s disease.
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