Autonomic Pharmacology

Introduction

This program is designed to allow students to investigate the effects on the pupil diameter of the human eye of a physiological stimulus (change in light intensity) and a number of pharmacological agents. The normal response to a change in light intensity is controlled by the autonomic nervous system and the program therefore provides a useful model for investigating autonomic pharmacology. Some of the agents could be administered externally to the real eye but others would not be safe.

The program uses a number of patient cases to illustrate how certain medical conditions will affect the way in which the eye responds.

Target Audience: Undergraduate medical, science and ophthalmology.

Aims: to promote an understanding of the autonomic control of pupil diameter and the pharmacology of the autonomic nervous system.

Objectives: at the end of the teaching session the student should be able to:

• Describe the sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves which control pupil diameter, and the neurotransmitters involved
• Describe how the autonomic nervous system regulates pupil diameter in response to a change in ambient light intensity
• Describe the mechanism and site of action of pharmacological agents which modify the physiological response to a change in ambient light intensity
• Predict how pharmacological agents of known mechanism and site of action would affect the physiological response to a change in light intensity
• Understand the underlying cause of a number of clinically important eye abnormalities