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Article 1: Schiefe, R. T. (1989). Protein binding: What does it mean? Annals of Pharmacotherapy, 23, s27-s31.

Summary: This article provides an overview of the consequences of protein binding on a drug’s performance and suggests that free drug concentrations are a more accurate index of clinical effects than total drug concentration.

Questions to Consider: [Critical thinking questions based on the article to gauge student comprehension and analysis]

1. How do high levels of protein binding affect a drug’s ability to enter the bloodstream?
2. What assumptions are made about the relationship of a drug’s protein binding and its clinical effects?
3. How can researchers determine free drug concentration as compared to total drug concentration?
    

Article 2: Stevenson, J. G., & Williamson, R. (1995). Testing for drugs: Bathrooms or barbershops? Public Personnel Management, 24, 467-74.

Summary: This article discusses the pros and cons of various drug screening techniques used by employers attempting to establish drug free work environments.

Questions to Consider:

1. What compounds are being looked for in drug screens?
2. Which of the drug screening procedures described gives a subtler picture of patterns of drug use?
3. What is meant by the term “false positive” as it is used in this paper? What are the implications of a false positive on a drug screening test?
    

Article 3: Li, M. (2016). Antipsychotic-induced sensitization and tolerance: Behavioral characteristics, developmental impacts, and neurobiological mechanisms. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 30, 749-770.

Summary: This article reviews literature on the sensitization and tolerance to long-term antipsychotic use. The paper suggests that basic principles of learning can be used to explain these processes.

Questions to Consider:

1. How is it possible that tolerance and sensitization can occur with the same drug?
2. Which effects of antipsychotic drugs tend to tolerate and which tend to sensitize?
3. What role do environmental cues play in the display of tolerance and sensitization?