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adrenergic blocking agent

any pharmacological substance that either partially or completely inhibits the binding of the neurotransmitters norepinephrine or epinephrine to adrenergic receptors and thus blocks or disrupts the action of these neurotransmitters. Such blocking agents are classed according to whether they inhibit binding to alpha- or beta-adrenergic receptors. They include alpha blockers (also called alpha-adrenoreceptor blocking agents), used primarily to widen blood vessels in the treatment of hypertension, and beta blockers (also called beta-adrenoreceptor blocking agents), used to treat hypertension as well but by reducing the rate and force of heart contractions, arrhythmia, tremor, and anxiety-related symptoms. Also called adrenoceptor blocking agent; adrenoreceptor blocking agent.

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Psychology term of the day

May 9th 2024

Megan’s law

Megan’s law

an amendment to the Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Act requiring that state registries of convicted but released sex offenders be disseminated to the public so that communities will be notified of offenders’ presence in a particular neighborhood. More formally known as the Community Notification Act, it was initially passed in New Jersey in 1994 after a repeat sex offender murdered a 7-year-old girl named Megan Nicole Kanka; it became a federal law in 1996.