Consciousness - Altering Drugs

Question 1

4 groups of Consciousness - Altering Drugs

Answer 1

depressants
stimulants
opiates
hallucinogens

Question 2

Depressants

Answer 2

reduce nervous system activity
results in relaxation and reduced anxiety

common one: alcohol

Question 3

Alcohol

Answer 3

increases activity of GABA receptor (GABA causes hyper polarization of the membrane)

increases Dopamine levels

Affects: logical reasoning and motor skills
-inability to recognize consequences of actions, creating short - sighted view of the world (called alcohol myopia)

Causes: fatigue

Question 4

Barbiturates

Answer 4

anxiety reducing drug
sleep medication

often replaced with benzodiazepines (less prone to overdose)

increases GABA activity (causing a sense of relaxation)
highly addictive

alcohol + barbiturate = coma or death

Question 5

Alcoholism

Answer 5

seen in the lower socioeconomic status (SES)

runs in the family

Question 6

2 groups under the category of Depressants:

Answer 6

Alcohol

Barbiturates & Benzodiazepines

Question 7

Wernicke - Korsakoff Syndrome

Answer 7

deficiency in thiamine (vitamin B1)

severe impairment with changes in mental status and loss of motor skills

Question 8

Stimulants

Answer 8

causes an increase in arousal in the nervous system

increases the frequency of action potentials

Question 9

3 groups under the category of Stimulants:

Answer 9

Amphetamines
Cocaine
Ecstasy

Question 10

Amphetamines

Answer 10

increases release of domaine, norepinephrine, serotonin (increasing arousal) while decreasing their reuptake

increase of arousal = decrease in appetite = decrease of sleep

increases heart rate, increases BP

can cause stroke or brain damage

Question 11

Cocaine

Answer 11

decreases repute of dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin

has anesthetic and vasoconstrictive properties
lead to heart attacks and strong

Crack: form of cocaine that can be smoked; quick effects; highly addictive

Question 12

Ecstasy

Answer 12

also known as “E”

hallucinogen + amphetamine
club or rave pill
increases heart rate, increases BP, blurry vision, sweating

increases alertness

Question 13

Opiates and Opioids

Answer 13

Opiates: morphine, codeine
Opioids: oxycodone, hydrocodone, heroin

decreases reaction to pain
overdose can cause death

Question 14

Heroin

Answer 14

Opioid

substitute for morphine
once inject, body metabolizes heroin to morphine

Question 15

Hallucinogen

Answer 15

includes drugs such as lysergic acid diethylamine (LSD)
interacts with serotonin
increases heart rate and BP, dilated pupils, sweating, increasing blood temperature

Question 16

Marijuana

Answer 16

Cannabis Sativa
Cannabis Indica

Active chemical: Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)
THC reacts at cannabinoid receptors, glycine receptors and opioid receptors
THC increases GABA activity (causing a sense of relaxation)
THC increases dopamine levels (causing pleasure)

symptoms: red eyes, dry mouth, fatigue, impairment of short term memory, increased heart rate, increased appetite, and lowered blood pressure.

Psychological effects makes marijuana fall into: a stimulant, hallucinogen and a depressant.

Question 17

Drug Addiction

Answer 17

related to mesolimbic reward pathway

one of four dopaminergic pathways

Question 18

4 drugs that increases GABA activity in the brain?

Answer 18

alcohol
barbiturates
benzodiazepines
marijuana

Question 19

3 drugs that increase dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin activity in the brain?

Answer 19

amphetamines
cocaine
ecstasy

Question 20

What are the 3 main structures of the mesolimbic reward pathway? What is this pathway’s primary neurotransmitter?

Answer 20

nucleus accumbens, medial forebrain bundle, and ventral segmental area

dopamine.