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2022-2024 Year 13 A-Level Psychology - Y13 > Addiction: Explanations of nicotine addiction - Brain neurochemistry > Flashcards

Addiction: Explanations of nicotine addiction - Brain neurochemistry Flashcards

1
Q

Name the neurotransmitter linked to addiction.

A

Dopamine

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2
Q

Name the brain areas linked to addiction.

A

Ventral Tegmental area
Nucleus accumbens
Pre- frontal cortex

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3
Q

Which receptors does nicotine attach to?

A

nACh
Or
nAChR

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4
Q

How long does nicotine take to activate the reward pathway?

A

Less than 10 seconds

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5
Q

What is nAChR?

A

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors

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6
Q

Which receptors of the nucleus accumbens do neurotransmitters attach to?

A

D2

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7
Q

Which pathway is nucleus accumbens in?

A

Mesolimbic pathway

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8
Q

What does VTA stand for?

A

Ventral tegmental area

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9
Q

What does activation of the nucleus accumbens lead to?

A

Euphoria
Increased alertness
Decreased anxiety

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10
Q

Activation of the nucleus accumbens reduces which emotion?

A

Anxiety

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11
Q

What three things are increased by activating the nucleus accumbens?

A

Euphoria
Alertness
Motivation

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12
Q

The nucleus accumbens is the …. Pathway the pre-frontal cortex is in the …. Pathway

A

Mesolimbic

Mesocortical

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13
Q

Which brain area is linked to decision making?

A

Pre-frontal cortex

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14
Q

Which brain area is linked to motivation?

A

Nucleus accumbens

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15
Q

Which brain area has a large concentration of dopamine neurons?

A

Ventral tegmental area

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16
Q

The ventral tegmental area and the nucleus accumbens are in which system in the brain?

A

Limbic system

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17
Q

What is the addictive component in cigarettes?

A

Nicotine

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18
Q

What if the missing word?

Nicotine addiction is due to …. Activation of the brains reward pathway.

A

Repeated

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19
Q

Why is motivation an important aspect of the nucleus accumbens?

A

It makes the person want to perform the smoking addiction again.

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20
Q

What is the pre-frontal cortex responsible for?

A

Attention so we know how to repeat the behaviour

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21
Q

How is the prefrontal cortex linked to addiction?

A

It results in the person making the decision to smoke again

22
Q

Research to support brain neurochemistry was by McEvoy, studying people with which disorder

A

Schizophrenia

23
Q

In McEvoy’s study, what drug were patients given?

A

Haloperidol

24
Q

In McEvoy’s study how does the drug haloperidol work?

A

Dopamine antagonist
Blocks dopamine receptors
Lowering dopamine activity

25
Q

What does an antagonist drug do?

A

Lower neurotransmitter levels

26
Q

McEvoy found those patients given haloperidol smoked more, why is this?

A

They used nicotine to raise their dopamine levels after haloperidol had reduced these levels

27
Q

Why can we criticise McEvoy’s research

A

Participants had schizophrenia which already affects dopamine functioning. May be hard to generalise findings to non schizophrenic population

28
Q

State which AO3 points you could use for brain neurochemical explanation

A

Research to support - McEvoy
Sample bias of McEvoy
Reductionism
Practical applications

29
Q

What does the neurochemical explanation reduce nicotine addiction down to?

A

Dopamine levels in the brain

30
Q

What is the opposite side of reductionism?

A

Holism

31
Q

What does holism consider?

A

Cultural and social context

32
Q

What could be holistic explanation for smoking addiction

A

Peers pressure in adolescence

Parental upbringing

Cultures having more positive views of smoking

33
Q

What could be a practical application of the neurochemical explanation of smoking addiction?

A

Development of nicotine replacement therapy

34
Q

How does nicotine replacement therapy work?

A

Gives individuals nicotine in a less harmful way and over time thus dose gets reduced

35
Q

Nicotine replacement therapy gives people a safe way to have nicotine. What happens to this overtime?

A

Slowly reduce dosage, reducing tolerance

36
Q

By reducing the dosage of Nicotine replacement therapy over time. What does it reduce?

A

Tolerance

37
Q

One practical application of the neurochemical explanation of smoking is NRT. What does NRT stand for?

A

Nicotine replacement therapy

38
Q

How does NRT work?

A

Gives nicotine in a less harmful way

Overtime this dose gets reduced

Reducing tolerance

39
Q

What are two ways Nicotine replacement therapy can be given?

A

Gum

Patches

40
Q

State two ways nicotine replacement therapy could be good for the economy.

A

1) treating people reduced chance of smoking related illness do people can work longer

2) By treating people the NHS won’t have to spend as much on treatment for smoking related illnesses

41
Q

What is meant by upregulation?

A

Smoking causes an increase in the number of nicotine receptors in the brain

42
Q

Name the two cellular changes that smoking causes

A

Upregulation and downregulation

43
Q

As the person smokes more what happens to the nicotine receptors?

A

They increase in numbers

44
Q

Why does the increase in nicotine receptors lead to tolerance?

A

More nicotine receptors = more nicotine is needed to activate them so the person smokes more

45
Q

What happen to nicotine receptors when the person hasn’t smoked for a few hours and what does this lead to?

A

They become available
Withdrawal/cravings

46
Q

Explain down regulation

A

D2 receptors in the nucleus accumbens become less sensitive and reduce in numbers

47
Q

What is the consequence of down regulation?

A

The person will now need to smoke more to increase dopamine to stimulate the receptors to feel a “buzz”

48
Q

What is the key term for the increase in the number of nicotine receptors as a result of smoking overtime?

A

Upregulation

49
Q

What is the key term for the decrease in the number of D2 receptors as a result of smoking overtime?

A

Down regulation

50
Q
A

2022-2024 Year 13 A-Level Psychology - Y13 (52 decks)

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