Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 17, 2026

A Computerized Test Battery to Study Pharmacodynamic Effects on the Central Nervous System of Cholinergic Drugs in Early Phase Drug Development
Published on: February 11, 2019
[Effect compartment equilibration and time-to-peak effect. Importance of a pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic principle
J Bruhn1, P M Schumacher, T W Bouillon
1Klinik und Poliklinik für Anästhesiologie und Operative Intensivmedizin, Universitätsklinikum, Bonn.
Abstract:
Contrary to the situation in "classical" clinical pharmacology, non-steady state phenomena play a fundamental role for clinical pharmacology in anesthesia. Their understanding is of tantamount importance for the safe and efficient application of drugs relevant to anesthesia. Concepts like optimised target-controlled infusion (TCI), effect compartment targeting and the small margin of error tolerable during maintained spontaneous ventilation, force the anesthesiologist to acquire a firm understanding of the difference between the concentration time course at the effect side vs. time course of the plasma concentration. The underlying concepts, their application for the rational use of muscle relaxants, propofol with TCI systems, volatile anaesthetics and opioids will be discussed.
Related Concept Videos
Pharmacokinetic–Pharmacodynamic Relationship: Problems
Pharmacokinetic–Pharmacodynamic Relationship: Model Components
Pharmacokinetic–Pharmacodynamic Relationship: Duration of Dose-Effect Relationship
Drug Concentration Versus Time Correlation
Two pivotal parameters are the minimum effective concentration (MEC) and the minimum toxic concentration (MTC). The MEC is the lowest drug...
Pharmacokinetic–Pharmacodynamic Relationship: Exposure, Response and Effect
Pharmacokinetic–Pharmacodynamic Relationship: Intensity of Dose-Effect Relationship
