CHAP 3 /SLIDE 3 Flashcards by Luc King

The 4 Groups of Substances

Depressants

Stimulants

Opioids

Hallucinogens

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This group of substances: _________

Result in behavioural sedation & relaxation
Decrease CNS activity & reduce levels of physiological arousal

Include: _____________________

Depressants

– alcohol, sedatives (calming, hypnotic, sleep-inducing & anxiety drugs)

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The commonly used substance in the group of depressants is ______

Alcohol

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Apparent stimulation is the initial effect of ______ (although a depressant)
Initially - feel more _______
Then gradually - _________

Alcohol
- Out going
- Reaction time slows, judgment becomes poor, motor coordination is impaired & etc.

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Effects of alcohol on the body

Orally administered
Following ingestion:
Easily absorbed from the GI tract:
10% absorbed by the stomach
It then travels to the small intestine where the remaining (90%) is absorbed into the bloodstream
Of the alcohol that reaches general circulation:
95% metabolized by the liver (& excreted in urine)
5% is excreted by the lungs  breath analyzer test

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Effects of alcohol on the brain
- Alcohol has an effect on numerous neurotransmitters, including

GABA – may explain the anti-anxiety properties of alcohol

Dopamine– explains the pleasurable feelings experienced when drinking alcohol

Serotonin– may explain alcoholic cravings

Glutamate – may explain blackouts/loss of memory of the period of intoxication

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Signs of Alcohol intoxication include ________

Mood lability (mood swings), slurred speech, impaired judgement, incoordination, impaired attention/memory, unsteady gait

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Signs of Alcohol Withdrawals include ______

Sweating, hand / body tremors, transient visual or auditory hallucinations , agitation, seizures, insomnia, nausea/vomiting, anxiety (extreme cases = Delirium Tremens)

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pattern of problems including learning difficulties, behaviour deficits & characteristic physical flaws due to alcohol in the womb

Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)

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____________ results in confusion & loss of muscle coordination
- Caused by a deficiency in thiamine (a vitamin metabolized poorly by heavy drinkers)

Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome

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Consequences of excessive drinking

Liver disease & cardiovascular disorders

Dementia

Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome

Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS):

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______: The deterioration of brain functioning
Can be a direct result of neurotoxicity or poisoning of the brain by excessive amounts of alcohol

Dementia (alcohol induced)

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Prevalence of Alcohol in Society

Men are more likely to drink & do so more heavily

Heavy drinking:
Men: 5+ drinks on one occasion at least once a month in the past year
Women: 4+ drinks on one occasion at least once a month in the past year

Higher rates of alcohol use disorders in European (Hungary and Russia) & American (USA) regions

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Rate of alcohol use varies across countries due to

Different attitudes towards drinking
Availability of alcohol
Family norms
Physiological reactions

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Predictors of later overuse of Alcohol

Drinking at an early age(i.e., between 11-14 years old) is predictive of developing later alcohol-related disorders
Lacking (or experiencing milder) physiological response to the sedative effects of alcohol may increase the likelihood of later misuse
Mixing alcohol with highly caffeinated energy drinks may be problematic

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This group of substances: _________

Enhance alertness & activity & elevate mood, arousal & concentration

Include: amphetamines, cocaine, nicotine & caffeine

The most commonly used drugs in Canada (______)

Stimulants

(Caffeine)

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The Most commonly used stimulant in North America

(Caffeine)

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Caffeine use disorders

cognitive, biological, behavioural & social problems associated with the use & misuse of caffeine

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Caffeine In small doses: __________
Caffeine In larger doses: causes ______

elevates mood & reduces fatigue

insomnia

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Caffeine is known as a ______________, because it is less harmful than other addictive drugs (but still problematic)

“A gentle stimulant”

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Regular use of Caffiene results in

Tolerance
Dependence
Intoxication
Withdrawal (headache, fatigue, drowsiness, irritability, difficulty concentrating etc.)

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Tobacco-related disorders

Cognitive, biological, behavioural & social problems associated with the use & misuse of nicotine

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_______ , another highly common stimulant drug is a psychoactive substance that produces patterns of dependence, tolerance & withdrawal

Nicotine

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Smoking prevalence is higher in men or women?

Men

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___________ is typically inhaled into the lungs - and enters the ______ After ____ seconds reaches the brain

Nicotine / Tobacco blood stream 7-19

Withdrawal symptoms of Nicotine include:

depressed, insomnia, irritability, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, increased appetite & weight gain

Consequences of nicotine

In small doses, it can relieve stress & improve mood … but can also cause high blood pressure & increase risks of heart disease & cancer Bi-directional relationship between smoking & depression Simultaneous smoking may make drinking alcohol more rewarding in terms of the effects on the dopamine reward system

intoxication symptoms of Amphetamines & cocaine

pupil dilation, hyperactivity, hypervigilance, alertness

Withdrawal symptoms of Amphetamines & cocaine

fatigue, insomnia/hypersomnia, increased appetite, unpleasant dreams

Heroine, opium, codeine & morphine are examples of which group of substances

opioids

natural chemicals in the opium poppy that have a narcotic effect

opiate

family of addictive psychoactive substances that include: Natural opiates, synthetic variations & endorphins - which cause euphoria and reduction in pain

opioids

Opioid-related disorders

cognitive, biological, behavioural & social problems associated with the use & misuse of opiates & their synthetic variants

_______ can cause euphoria, drowsiness, slowed breathing or death

Opioids

_______ can also reduce pain and thus are sometimes given to patients before/after surgery (i.e., _____)

Opioids (ie. morphine)

Canada is currently experiencing an _______ crisis

opioid

To prevent opioid use disorders, ______ must be aware of the potential for misuse & minimize ____________

Clinicians inappropriate prescriptions

intoxication symptoms of Opioids

pupillary constriction, drowsiness, slurred speech, impairment in attention/memory

Withdrawal symptoms of Opioids

pupillary dilation, sweating, insomnia, muscle aches

The consequences of which group of stubstances causes: Mortality are 6 to 20 times more than the general population Relapse is common Many replace these with alcohol or other drugs Only 30% experience stable abstinence Increased risk of HIV infection

Opioids

The high or rush experienced by opioid users is due to activation of the ____________________

the body’s natural opioid system (i.e., endorphins) by the opioids taken (i.e., heroine, opium, morphine & etc.)

This group of substances: _________ - Alter sensory perception & produce delusion, paranoia & hallucinations The main two substances listed on the slide of these are ______ & ______

Hallucinogens Cannabis and LSD

_______ - Produced synthetically in laboratories - Sometimes referred to as “____” - Trips and “bad trips” - Tolerance develops quickly

LSD "acid"

Cannabis is a tricky drug to classify due to its unique properties however historically and in the slide, Cannabis can _________________

Can have effects that fall in 3 categories: depressants, stimulants & hallucinogen

Hallucinogens can be problematic due to posing the possibility of _______ & ________

psychotic reactions & “bad trips”

name given to the dried parts of the cannabis or hemp plant The widely used illegal substance (but legal in Canada)

Marijuana

Common reactions / intoxication of cananbis include: However, _____________

altered perceptions, mood swings, heightened sensory experiences etc. Can produce very different reactions in people

Withdrawals of Cannabis can include

irritability, anxiety, sleep difficulty, decreased appetite / weight loss, restlessness

Consequences of misuse of Cannabis

- In large doses --paranoia, hallucinations, dizziness - Frequent long-term use may result in impaired memory, concentration, motivation & cannabis use disorder - Overdose can induce panic attacks & psychosis -Synthetic marijuana (‘fake weed’, ‘k2’,or ‘spice’)  hallucinations, seizures or heart rhythm problems - Some experience tolerance, others experience reverse tolerance Use for medical purposes is controversial

Dopamine pathways (dopamine reward system)

Ventral tegmental area (VTA; midbrain, brainstem)  high concentration of dopamine mesolimbic pathway  spans from the VTA to the nucleus accumbens (striatum) & other limbic regions - **Activation is necessary for experiencing reward & reinforcement **- Each drug increases the amount of dopamine released in this pathway differently**

; midbrain, brainstem) area with high concentration of dopamine

Ventral tegmental area (VTA)

spans from the VTA to the nucleus accumbens (striatum) & other limbic regions

mesolimbic pathway

Natural rewards & drug stimuli stimulate the release of ______ from the ___ into the _____ (brain’s ‘pleasure centre’)

dopamine VTA accumbens

During withdrawal syndrome - substantial decrease in dopamine in the ______ (pleasure centre of the brain)

nucleus accumbens

removes dopamine from the synaptic cleft

Dopamine transporter

All classes of drugs increase _____ levels in the brain, but in_________

dopamine different ways

Effect of drugs on dopamine

Some (i.e., alcohol & nicotine) indirectly excite dopamine-producing neurons in the VTA to they generate more action potentials Others (i.e., cocaine) act at the nerve terminal  bind to dopamine-transporter & block the reuptake of dopamine

process that allows neurotransmitters to be taken back into the presynaptic neuron

Reuptake

Operant conditioning (B.F. Skinner)

Type of learning that is controlled by the consequences of one’s behaviours Can explain how addiction develops Reinforcement  any consequence that strengthens a behaviour Positive reinforcement  a pleasant stimulus (i.e., the high feeling) following a behaviour (i.e., using drugs) which strenghtens the behaviour

environmental stimuli associated with drug use which motivate drug seeking & explain relapse

Drug cues

Classical Conditioning (Pavlov):

Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS)  i.e., cocaine Unconditioned Response (UCR)  i.e., the high feeling Conditioned Stimulus (CS)  i.e., straw Conditioned Response (CR)  i.e., the ‘high’ feeling (craving cocaine)

The difference between Classical and Operant conditioning is that

The most important difference is that Pavlov's conditoinng uses unconditioned or natural responses to create conditioned responses, whereas in operant conditioning uses the direct "consequences" of beahviour to reinforce or punish it.

What theory explains how certain cues are associated with drug use

Classical Conditioning (Pavlov) (SLIDE SAYS THIS BUT OPERANT MAY ALSO WORK IN SOME CASES, STILL MOSTLY CLASSICAL!!!!)

Factors involved in relapse & craving include

- Re-exposure to the drug - Exposure to drug cues (enviromental) - Exposure to enviromental stressors

CHAP 3 /SLIDE 3 Flashcards

(64 cards)