Wiktionary
n. A science concerned with drug-induced changes in the functioning of cells in the nervous system.
Wikipedia
Neuropharmacology is the study of how drugs affect cellular function in the nervous system, and the neural mechanisms through which they influence behavior. There are two main branches of neuropharmacology: behavioral and molecular. Behavioral neuropharmacology focuses on the study of how drugs affect human behavior ( neuropsychopharmacology), including the study of how drug dependence and addiction affect the human brain. Molecular neuropharmacology involves the study of neurons and their neurochemical interactions, with the overall goal of developing drugs that have beneficial effects on neurological function. Both of these fields are closely connected, since both are concerned with the interactions of neurotransmitters, neuropeptides, neurohormones, neuromodulators, enzymes, second messengers, co-transporters, ion channels, and receptor proteins in the central and peripheral nervous systems. Studying these interactions, researchers are developing drugs to treat many different neurological disorders, including pain, neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease, psychological disorders, addiction, and many others.
Neuropharmacology is a peer-reviewed scientific journal in the field of neuroscience. It was established in 1962 as the International Journal of Neuropharmacology and obtained its current name in 1970.
Usage examples of "neuropharmacology".
Ungar's experiments were done before other research - which was to lead in due course to the opening up of a major new branch of neuropharmacology and to the making of some very distinguished scientific reputations -had revealed how important many peptides were in the brain.