Chapter 15: Drugs and Behaviour

Question 1

oral administration

Answer 1

• most convenient
• takes longer to act
• requires highest dose
• digestive system acts as a barrier

Question 2

absorption into skin tissue

Answer 2

• continual, slow release into the bloodstream
• bypasses the digestive system
• faster acting than oral method

Question 3

sublingual absorption

Answer 3

• pill is dissolved under the tongue
• enters blood stream through membranes in the mouth
• lower dose compared to oral

Question 4

inhalation

Answer 4

• reaches brain via blood flow from lungs
• acts within seconds

Question 5

injection directly into the bloodstream

Answer 5

• goes to the brain within seconds
• less of a dose is required

Question 6

what are the two main pathways in the dopaminergic system?

Answer 6

• mesolimbic pathway (nucleus accumbens)
• nigrostriatal pathway (substantia nigra)

Question 7

nucleus accumbens

Answer 7

anticipates when a reward is coming and responds when you engage in rewarding behaviour

Question 8

striatum

Answer 8

involved in movement and processes stereotypical behaviours that lead to a reward

Question 9

limbic system

Answer 9

made up of the amygdala (emotional experience) and the hippocampus (long-term memories of rewarding experiences)

Question 10

prefrontal cortex

Answer 10

involved in reasoning and decision making

Question 11

functional tolerance

Answer 11

occurs at the level of the synapse, higher and higher doses are needed to feel the same effect

Question 12

metabolic tolerance

Answer 12

the drug is broken down more easily and the effect doesn’t last as long

Question 13

what does the effective duration of many drugs depend on?

Answer 13

the liver’s ability to metabolize it

Question 14

when is someone most at risk of suffering an overdose?

Answer 14

when they take a break and then start using a high dose again without the same tolerance

Question 15

physiological dependence

Answer 15

produces withdrawal symptoms

Question 16

psychological dependence

Answer 16

produces cravings

Question 17

what does drug dependence rely on?

Answer 17

• positive reinforcement (want to feel good; how dependence starts)
• negative reinforcement (want to avoid withdrawal symptoms; how dependence in maintained)

Question 18

incentive sensitization

Answer 18

people become more sensitive to all things associated with the drug

Question 19

epigenetic mechanisms of addiction

Answer 19

• repeated drug use alters gene transcription factors in the reward pathway, which leads to long-term changes in the brain

Question 20

benzodiazepines

Answer 20

• minor tranquilizers, anti-anxiety agents, and mild sedatives
• make you less alert

Question 21

barbiturates and alcohol

Answer 21

• produces sedation and can induce sleep

Question 22

cross tolerance

Answer 22

develop a tolerance to a drug that isn’t being taken because they operate by the same method at the synapse

Question 23

GABAa receptor binding sites

Answer 23

• alcohol and barbiturates
• benzodiazepines

Question 24

what does heavy, long-term alcohol use lead to?

Answer 24

alters GABA receptors

Question 25

what are the withdrawal symptoms associated with alcohol?

Answer 25

anxiety, convulsions, and occasionally seizures

Question 26

which neurotransmitters does marijuana release?

Answer 26

dopamine and GABA

Question 27

GHB (date rape)

Answer 27

- form of salt - rapid absorption - high doses cause dizziness, sleep, vomiting - used to treat alcohol withdrawal

Question 28

ketamine (surgical anesthetic)

Answer 28

out of body experience

Question 29

what are the symptoms of schizophrenia?

Answer 29

hallucinations, delusions, and psychosis

Question 30

what was the first antipsychotic drug?

Answer 30

chlorpromazine

Question 31

what is the intentional use of chlorpromazine?

Answer 31

general anesthetic for soldiers but ended up being used pre-surgery to calm down the patients

Question 32

first generation antipsychotics

Answer 32

dopamine antagonists (can bring people out of a psychotic state)

Question 33

what are the side effects associated with first generation antipsychotics?

Answer 33

- tardive dyskinesia (unwanted movements) - anhedonia (inability to feel joy)

Question 34

what do second generation antipsychotics act on?

Answer 34

dopamine and serotonin receptors

Question 35

first generation antidepressants

Answer 35

- monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors - tricyclic antidepressants

Question 36

what are the side effects associated with first generation antidepressants?

Answer 36

elevated blood pressure

Question 37

second generation antidepressants

Answer 37

- SSRIs (inhibit serotonin reuptake) - SNRIs (act on serotonin and norepinephrine) - ketamine

Question 38

morphine

Answer 38

synthesized from the active ingredient found in opium in the early 1800s

Question 39

heroin

Answer 39

synthetic derivative opioid

Question 40

how does heroin compare to morphine?

Answer 40

shorter half life and twice the potency

Question 41

fentanyl potency

Answer 41

80 times that of morphine `

Question 42

what are the withdrawal symptoms associated with opioid analgesics?

Answer 42

- respiratory suppression (high doses) - allodynia (skins becomes sensitive/person may feel pain) - myoclonic movements (jerking, reflexive movements)

Question 43

naloxone

Answer 43

opioid antagonist that helps with overdose symptoms

Question 44

opioid mechanisms of action

Answer 44

bind to opioid G-protein coupled receptors (endorphins) located throughout the body

Question 45

what are the mechanisms of opioid tolerance?

Answer 45

- desensitization (G-protein can decouple from the receptor) - endocytosis (receptor sinks down into the cell and is less exposed in the synapse) - downregulation (receptor disappears from the synapse)

Question 46

general stimulants

Answer 46

drugs that cause a general increase in the metabolic activity of cells

Question 47

what are some examples of stimulants?

Answer 47

caffeine, nicotine, cocaine, methamphetamine, MDMA

Question 48

what can stimulants be used to treat?

Answer 48

ADHD

Question 49

nicotine

Answer 49

- acts on acetylcholine receptors - can increase focus and attention

Question 50

cocaine

Answer 50

- can be snorted, smoked, or injected - rapid rate of tolerance - alcohol enhances the effects - more intense and addictive in females (related to estrogen receptors)

Question 51

methamphetamine

Answer 51

- smoked or injected - low doses elevate mood and increase energy and alertness - higher doses can produce hallucinations and psychosis - chronic users show evidence of cell loss (reduced hippocampal volume)

Question 52

MDMA

Answer 52

- taken in pill form - slow to act but lasts for hours - sense of euphoria and heightened awareness

Question 53

hallucinogens

Answer 53

alter sensory perception and produce vivid hallucinations

Question 54

who discovered LSD?

Answer 54

Albert Hofmann (1943)

Question 55

mescaline

Answer 55

dried tops of the peyote cactus (hallucinogen)