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Discussion

Can someone explain the difference between uptake & reuptake?

We did not have a seperate pharm class so I feel we are a little behind in this anyway, but at the moment we are learning the different classes of psych meds, the meds, what they do etc, and I am having trouble understanding uptake & reuptake...can someone help me out here?

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  • Author

So uptake = the neurotransmitter is used and with reuptake= it is destroyed or not used?

so reuptake inhibitor = more neurotransmitter to be used by the brain?

uptake = when one neuron takes in (via dendrites) neurotransmitter that was sent out by a different neuron (neuron 2 picking up neurotransmitter from neuron 1)

reuptake = when a neuron takes in it's own neurotransmitter that it sent out for another neuron (neuron 1 picking up neurotransmitter from neuron 1; which is itself)

reuptake inhibitors = in stops cell (1) from picking up the "excess" neurotransmitter. This in turn allows other neurons to potentially take in more neurotransmitter.

Depression caused by chemical imbalances can be treated by reducing the amount of (serotonin for example) reuptook by the synaptic bulb it was released from. This creates more availability (of serotonin) in the synaptic cleft to be used. This is one treatment rationale for the use of SSRI's to treat depression.

Poor terminology IMO. Uptake that is. The problem with this subject is that different authors use ambiguous language to define a process. If you look in some high level texts, they will say that uptake occurs within the neuron. The process by which amino acid precursors are "taken up" by presynaptic vesicles and synthesized into monoamine neurotransmitters.

Then reuptake is defined as the process in which neurotransmitters in the synaptic cleft are picked up by transporter vesicles located on presynaptic neurons. This step controls the release of NT (neurotransmitter) from the "sender". Reuptake is usually consistently defined, whereas uptake isn't. In most cases, the term uptake is synonymous.

It is important to know that interaction with postsynaptic receptors does not mean that the NT is being transported from the sender (e.g., axon) to the receiver (e.g., dendrite) in the sense that the NT is crossing into the dendrite's membrane. The NT is binding to a receptor as a ligand and activating a response, inhibitory or excitatory. Different processes determine where the NT goes after interaction, but most of the time it is back into the neuron (reuptake transporters) or into glial cells.

Of course, the more you read the more you will find that none of this is easily explained. You have transmission between axons, axons to the soma directly, and so on.

Reuptake inhibitors simply block the reuptake (or uptake) transporter vesicle that allow the free NT to re-enter the neuron, where it is recycled or degraded.

It is late and I'm very sleepy, so I probably only made you more confused. Either way, stick to the book and material they gave you for testing purposes.

Here is a vid:

  • Author

Thank you so much for that...I think I understand it now! That video was great!

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