5. DRUGS AND MOTIVATION Flashcards
(38 cards)
What is psychobiology?
The study of the biological basis of behaviour and mental processes.
What are substance use disorders (SUDs)?
Chronic, relapsing conditions involving compulsive drug use despite negative consequences.
What is addiction?
A chronically relapsing disorder characterised by compulsive drug use and loss of control.
What are DALYs (Disability Adjusted Life Years)?
The sum of years of life lost due to premature death and years lived with disability.
What is the ‘fourth drive’ theory?
The idea that humans have an innate drive to seek psychoactive substances.
What is phytochemistry?
The study of chemicals produced by plants, some of which have psychoactive effects.
What are examples of plant-derived drugs?
Cocaine (coca leaf), morphine (opium poppy), nicotine (tobacco).
What are the four main routes of drug administration?
Oral ingestion, injection, inhalation, and absorption through mucous membranes.
What is the fastest route of drug administration?
Injection directly into a vein (intravenous).
What is the blood-brain barrier (BBB)?
A semi-permeable membrane that prevents many substances from entering the brain.
What are psychoactive drugs?
Substances that alter mood, perception, and cognition by affecting the CNS.
What is tolerance?
Decreased sensitivity to a drug with repeated use.
What is withdrawal?
Negative physical and psychological symptoms when drug use stops.
What is the DSM-5 term for addiction?
Substance Use Disorder (SUD).
What are the DSM-5 criteria for SUD?
Compulsive use, tolerance, withdrawal, and loss of control.
What is the mesolimbic dopamine pathway?
The brain’s reward system involved in addiction, connecting the VTA to the nucleus accumbens.
What brain region is linked to craving?
The amygdala.
What is the incentive sensitization theory?
The idea that repeated drug use increases dopamine response, making users want (but not like) the drug.
What is the difference between “wanting” and “liking” in addiction?
“Wanting” increases with repeated use, while “liking” decreases.
What is associative learning in addiction?
When environmental cues become linked to drug use, triggering cravings.
What is the role of dopamine in addiction?
It reinforces the motivation to seek drugs by increasing incentive salience.
What is relapse?
Returning to drug use after a period of abstinence.
What is inhibitory control?
The ability to suppress inappropriate or impulsive responses.
What cognitive dysfunction occurs in addiction?
Impaired executive function, decision-making, and impulse control.
