Central Nervous System Drugs
Central nervous system drugs—that is, drugs that affect the spinal cord and the brain—are used to treat several neurological (nervous system) and psychiatric problems. For instance, antiepileptic drugs reduce the activity of overexcited brain areas and reduce or eliminate seizures. Antipsychotic drugs are used to regulate certain brain chemicals called neurotransmitters , which do not function properly in people with psychoses, major mental disorders often characterized by extreme behaviors and hallucinations , such as in schizophrenia . Antipsychotic drugs can often significantly alleviate hallucinations and other abnormal behaviors. Antidepressant drugs reduce mental depression . Antimanic drugs reduce excessive mood swings in people with manic-depressive illness, which is characterized by behavioral fluctuations between highs of extreme excitement and activity and lows of lethargy and depression. Both types of drugs act by normalize chemical activity in the emotional centers of the...