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

18
Q

What if the missing word?

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

A

Repeated

19
Q

Why is motivation an important aspect of the nucleus accumbens?

A

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

20
Q

What is the pre-frontal cortex responsible for?

A

Decision making
Attention

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