I’m studying Physics, so this is foreign to me. I want to know of a document (preferably an online document, that I can get a URL to) that will describe the functioning of genes and metabolic interactions that govern human down-regulation or up-regulation to chemicals.

How do we acquire a tolerance or become differently affected by (through the course of prolonged secretion of ingestion) things like: melatonin, caffeine, piracetam (a nootropic cognitive enhancing drug thought to improve short-term memory), and epimedium?

Can any drug be used for long-term enhancement, or will there always be regulation? Can any drugs suppress up or down regulation?

So if anyone can answer these questions here, or recommend a document, that would be great I’m not looking for any recommendations for entire textbooks.

- THANKS!! and happy holiday!

I’m reading the chapter about that in a text called "Psychopharmacology" ( Jerrold S. Meyer and Linda F. Quenzer, 2005 ), up or down regulation has mainly to do with the addition or reduction of neuron receptors for a given drug, and also the fact that some drugs act to increase the enzymes which metabolize them (down regulation), while some drugs work to reduce the enzymes of metabolization. Another good source would be the text "Uppers, Downers, and All-arounders".

http://www.amazon.com/Psychopharmacology-Behavior-Jerrold-S-Meyer/dp/0878935347/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261376358&sr=1-4

http://www.amazon.com/Uppers-Downers-All-Arounders-Psychoactive/dp/0926544284/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261376424&sr=1-1

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