Physiological Effects and Pharmacology

The various physiological activities of the ergot alkaloids can be divided into three types. The peripheral effects are the contraction of smooth muscle including the peripheral blood vessels and the muscle of the uterus. 

The ergot alkaloids also block the action of the neurohormones serotonin and adrenalin. The antiserotonin effect contributes to the efficacy of the 

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Structural features of the barbiturate molecule which are required for its hypnotic, convulsant, and/or anticonvulsant properties have been summarized by Vida and Gerry,381 and numerous studies were devoted to physiological effects and pharmacological mechanisms of action of barbiturates in relation to chemical and stereochemical factors. Some recent articles and reviews are suggested on this fascinating and still incompletely elucidated subject.382 Clearly, the history of barbiturates383 has many paragraphs yet to be written. 

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