Rest of Drugs and behaviour section Flashcards
1
Q
What is the synapse cleft?
A
The space between the axon of a neuron and the dendrite of the other neuron during chemical transmission.
2
Q
What causes the release of neurotransmitters at the axon ending?
A
The action potential.
3
Q
What do neurotransmitters sit inside, in the axon?
A
Vessels
4
Q
What do neurotransmitters do to the receptor sites of dentrites?
A
They open an Ion channel (allow ions to enter the neuron from the synapse)
5
Q
What produces the Post-Synaptic potential in the neuron during chemical transmisision?
A
The balance of ions inside and outside the neuron.
6
Q
What can post-synaptic potentials lead to in a neuron?
A
The firing of a new impulse
7
Q
Once neurotransmitters have opened the ion channels during chemical transmission, what happens to them?
A
They are released to the synapse cleft where they are either re-taken by the previous neuron or broken down into inactive chemicals and excreted by the body.
8
Q
Is chemical transmission across the synapse an easy or complicated process?
A
Very complicated process with many hundred of these processes occurring often
9
Q
What are excitatory PSPs?
A
an excitatory postsynaptic potential is a postsynaptic potential that makes the postsynaptic neuron more likely to fire an action potential.
10
Q
What are Inhibitory PSPs?
A
An inhibitory postsynaptic potential is a kind of synaptic potential that makes a postsynaptic neuron less likely to generate an action potential.
11
Q
True or False? Some neurotransmitters can be both exciatory and inhibitory PSPs.
A
True
12
Q
What is a good definition of a drug?
A
Any exogenous chemical agent (not produced by the body, comes from outside) that has an effect on living protoplasm. These are taken for reasons other than for food and water intake therefore are taken for either medical or recreation purposes.
13
Q
Can drugs be in our food and drinks?
A
Yes, common examples include alcohol in wine, and caffeine in coffee.
14
Q
True or False? The definition of a drug depends on the circumstance.
A
True and false. The definition of a drug depends on both the circumstance and the intent.
15
Q
What is the most important factor when defining a drug?
A
What is the intent.
16
Q
What are psychoactive/psychotropic drugs?
A
A psychoactive drug, psychopharmaceutical, or psychotropic drug is a chemical substance that changes brain function and results in alterations in perception, mood, consciousness, cognition, or behavior.
17
Q
What is behavioural pharmacology?
A
The development of drugs for clinical use and build understanding of how brain functions enable cognition and behaviour.
18
Q
What is psychopharmacology?
A
Psychopharmacology is the study of medications used to treat mental disorders affecting mood, attention, behavior, and thought processes.
19
Q
What is the difference between behavioural pharmacology and psychopharmacology?
A
The extent to which changes in the brain processes are studied following drug admission. Behavioural pharmacology are more likely to make a reference to what is likely to be going on and Psychopharmacology is more likely to directly measure changes and make accurate investigations to what is going on.
20
Q
What are the 3 reasons psychologists study drugs and behaviour?
A
- They help with understanding and relieving the strain of mental disorders. 2. To understand why some drugs are used recreationally and the associated risks. 3. To understand behaviour using drugs as tools.
21
Q
True or False? Drugs Cure
A
False
22
Q
What do drugs do for mental disorders?
A
They help relieve symptoms by correcting some brain chemical imbalances, thus allowing for other treatments such as CBT to be applied.
23
Q
Can drugs and treatments cure serious diseases such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia?
A
No, they can only control the symptoms of these serious diseases.
24
Q
What is the psychological research on recreation drug usage often aimed at?
A
Identifying possible risks associated with this drug taking such as impacts to fetus development and the human brain.
25
How can drugs be used as psychological tools?
Drugs can be used for modifying behaviour and brain functioning to understand underlying mechanisms.
26
What is scopolamine?
a medication used to treat motion sickness and postoperative nausea and vomiting. It is also sometimes used before surgery to decrease saliva. When used by injection, effects begin after about 20 minutes and last for up to 8 hours.
27
What is the hippocampus?
The structure involved in memorising and converting short term memory into long term memory.
28
Where is the hippocampus located in the brain?
Its located in the middle quite deep inside the brain.
29
What are association areas of the brain?
parts of the cerebral cortex that receive inputs from multiple areas; association areas integrate incoming sensory information, and also form connections between sensory and motor areas.
30
What is acetylcholine (ACh)?
Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter, which is a chemical released by a nerve cell or neuron. ... Acetylcholine causes muscles to contract, activates pain responses and regulates endocrine and REM sleep functions.
31
What is dopamine (DA)?
Dopamine is one of the “feel good” chemicals in our brain. Interacting with the pleasure and reward center of our brain, dopamine plays a vital role in how happy we feel. In addition to our mood, dopamine also affects movement, memory, and focus.
32
What is noradrenaline (NA) / norepinephrine (NE)?
Noradrenaline normally produces effects such as increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, widening of pupils, widening of air passages in the lungs and narrowing of blood vessels in non-essential organs. ... Noradrenaline works by stimulating receptors called adrenoceptors, which are found all over the body
33
What is serotonin (5-HT)?
Serotonin is a chemical that has a wide variety of functions in the human body. It is sometimes called the happy chemical, because it contributes to wellbeing and happiness. The scientific name for serotonin is 5-hydroxytryptamine, or 5-HT. It is mainly found in the brain, bowels, and blood platelets.
34
True or False? Most drug effects are via influences on neurotransmitters.
True
35
What can drugs inhibit and stimulate?
Neurotransmitters in neurons.
36
What does the drug 'prosac' do to the neurons in the human body?
It prevents the re-uptake of neurotransmitters in the synapse cleft.
37
What can drugs do to the neurotransmitters that are not retaken by the previous neuron?
They can prevent the breakdown of these neurotransmitters through inactivation of the chemicals response.
38
What can drugs do to post-synaptic neuron receptors?
They can occupy these receptors and prevent the action of neurotransmitters therefore no PSPs can be initiated.
39
How are psychotropic drugs classified?
In two general classes. 1. Central nervous system stimulants, and 2. Central nervous system Depressants.
40
What are psychomotor stimulants?
They stimulate/arouse the brain.
41
Are psychomotor stimulant drugs used more medically or recreationally?
Recreationally, the only real medical purpose for these drugs is for those with ADHD.
42
Why is the stimulant drug "ritalin" used to treat ADHD, which is a hyperactive disorder?
Because scientists think that those with ADHD actually have low levels of brain arousal and are hyperactive because they search to fix this chemical imbalance in the brain.
43
What are some examples of how psychomotor stimulants are used recreationally?
Cocaine, Meth
44
What are antidepressants?
Antidepressants are medications used to treat major depressive disorder, some anxiety disorders, some chronic pain conditions, and to help manage some addictions.
45
What are the 3 main groups of antidepressants that are used clinically?
1. Tricyclic AD (Elevates noradrenaline
2. Serotonin ADs.
3. Nor-adrenaline serotonin re-uptake inhibitors.
46
Tricyclic AD is an antidepressant that is found to be less efficient that other antidepressants although is still widely prescribed, why?
Due to the views and opinions of doctors.
47
What are the subsections that CNS depressant drugs can be divided into?
Narcotic analgesics, hypnosedatives, antipsychotic agents, and anti-anxiety agents
48
What are narcotic analgesics?
They are used for relieving pain but are widely abused for their effects.
49
What are the narcotic analgesics drugs that are regularly abused?
Morphine, pethidine, Noreen, and methadone.
50
What do narcotic analgesics exert their effects in humans?
By acting on brain opioid receptors that are associated with the brains reward and pleasure system.
51
What are hypnosedative drugs?
They are general depressants which effect all parts of the brain.
52
What are 2 examples of hyponosedatives?
Alcohol and barbiturates.
53
What are barbiturates?
Barbiturates are a class of drugs that were used extensively in the 1960s and 1970s as a treatment for anxiety, insomnia, and seizure disorders. They reduce the activity of nerves causing muscle relaxation.
54
What do hypnosedatives to to the body?
They sedate at low doses and induce sleep at higher doses and kill at high doses.
55
What is pentothal?
Pentothal is a barbiturate used to help patients relax before receiving general anaesthesia with an inhaled medication.
56
What is paraldehyde?
Paraldehyde is used to treat certain convulsive disorders. It also has been used in the treatment of alcoholism and in the treatment of nervous and mental conditions to calm or relax patients who are nervous or tense and to produce sleep.
57
What are anti psychotic agents?
They are more specific depressants used to manage psychosis, principally in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Antipsychotics are usually effective in relieving symptoms of psychosis in the short term.
58
What is chlorpromazine?
Chlorpromazine is a phenothiazine that is used to treat psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia or manic-depression in adults. Chlorpromazine is also used in adults to treat nausea and vomiting, anxiety before surgery, chronic hiccups, acute intermittent porphyria, and symptoms of tetanus
59
What are phenothiazines?
Phenothiazine antipsychotics are a type of antipsychotic. Phenothiazine antipsychotics are thought to work by blocking the action of dopamine in the brain; however, their exact mechanism of action is unknown
60
What are butyrophenones?
any of a class of antipsychotic drugs used especially in the treatment of schizophrenia
61
What are the side effects of chlorpromazine?
```
dizziness,
drowsiness,
anxiety,
sleep problems (insomnia),
breast swelling or discharge,
changes in menstrual periods,
weight gain,
swelling in hands or feet,
```
62
What are the two main groups on anti-psychotic agents?
1. Phenothiazines, 2. Butyrophenones
63
What is olanzapine?
is newer form of an antipsychotic primarily used to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. For schizophrenia, it can be used for both new onset disease and long term maintenance. It is taken by mouth or by injection into a muscle.
64
What happened 4 years after the discovery of chlorpromazine?
America for the first time had more patient discharged than admission in their psychiatric hospitals.
65
What are anti-anxiety agents?
Selective sedatives of the parts of the brain associated with anxiety.
66
What are anxiolytics?
An anxiolytic is a medication, or other intervention, that inhibits anxiety. (Decreases anxiety)
67
What are tranquillizers?
A tranquilliser refers to a drug which is designed for the treatment of anxiety, fear, tension, agitation, and disturbances of the mind, specifically to reduce states of anxiety and tension.
68
What are benzodiazepines?
Benzodiazepines (also called “benzos”) are a class of agents that work in the central nervous system and are used for a variety of medical conditions. They act on specific receptors in the brain, called gamma-aminobutyric acid-A (GABA-A) receptors.
69
What are the most widely prescribed drugs?
Benzodiazepines
70
What is chlordiazepoxide (Librium)?
a sedative and hypnotic medication of the benzodiazepine class; it is used to treat anxiety, insomnia and symptoms of withdrawal from alcohol and other drugs
71
What is diazepam (Valium)?
Diazepam, first marketed as Valium, is a medicine of the benzodiazepine family that typically produces a calming effect.
72
What is lorazepam?
belongs to a class of drugs known as benzodiazepines This drug works by enhancing the effects of a certain natural chemical in the body (GABA).
73
What are anticonvulsants?
Anticonvulsants are a diverse group of pharmacological agents used in the treatment of epileptic seizures
74
What were benzodiazepines used for?
Minor dental and medical procedures.
75
What is Midazolam (Hypnoval)
a benzodiazepine medication used for anaesthesia. It is commonly used in endoscopic examinations of the stomach or bowel.
76
How long are benzodiazepines usually prescribed for?
No longer than 2-3 weeks due to the chances of dependance.
77
What are some side effects of Benzodiazepines?
Can cause memory loss and interact with alcohol
78
What is a modern antideppresent?
Prosac
79
What are the types of drugs that are used recreationally?
Both stimulant and depressive drugs are used recreationally
80
What are the two most commonly abused drugs from the younger population?
Alcohol and nicotine
81
What do abused recreational drugs do to the brain?
They produce increased activity of dopamine in brain reward pathways.
82
What are the most commonly abused stimulant drugs?
Cocaine, amphetamine, methamphetamine, methylphenidate (Ritalin), designer drugs, "legal" highs, party pills and so on.
83
What is one of the newer abused stimulant drugs?
MDMA which is an ingredient of ecstasy.
84
What is methylone (BZP)?
A stimulant drug used at raves, nightclubs, and parties and has been called "legal ecstasy."
85
What is Mephedrone?
a synthetic stimulant drug of the amphetamine and cathinone classes. Slang names include bath salts, drone, M-CAT, White Magic and meow meow.
86
Which stimulant drugs have medical purposes?
Methylphenidate (Ritalin for ADHD), and amphetamine.
87
What are the most commonly abused depressant drugs?
Narcotics, Alcohol, Barbiturates, Anti-anxiety agents. All of these except alcohol are used medically.
88
What are hallucinogenic drugs?
Hallucinogens are a diverse group of drugs that alter a person's awareness of their surroundings as well as their own thoughts and feelings. They have limited clinical value but are widely used recreationally and can act as either CNS stimulants and depressants.
89
How are hallucinogenic drugs classified?
They are classified by the extent at which they mimic or interfere with the effects of the brains neurotransmitters.
90
What are serotonin like drugs?
A type of hallucinogenic drug such as LSD.
91
What is LSD?
LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide), first synthesised in 1938, is an extremely potent hallucinogen. It is synthetically made from lysergic acid. It is more of a stimulant and it is often called superman due to its symptoms. LSD only requires a small dosage to have an effect on the brain.
92
What are non-adrenaline like drugs?
A type of hallucinogenic drug such as mescaline.
93
What is mescaline?
Mescaline, is a hallucinogenic drug that occurs naturally in certain cacti plants native to the southwest United States, Mexico, and South America. Mescaline is weaker than LSD but as similar side effects such as nausea, vomiting, tremors and incoordination.
94
What are anticholinergic drugs?
A type of hallucinogenic drug that interferes with the normal action of acetylcholine (ACH).
95
What are some examples of anticholinergic drugs?
Scopolamine, atropine, and datura (jimsom weed)
96
What are some clinical uses of anticholinergic drugs?
ophthalmology which is a branch of medicine and surgery which deals with the diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders.
97
What is cannabis?
Cannabis is a psychoactive drug from the Cannabis plant used primarily for medical or recreational purposes. The main psychotropic ingredient is Delta9 THC
98
What are the principle effects of Cannabis?
Distorted time perception, euphoria, memory defects, infectious amusement, increased appetite, and the lowering of the bodys immune system.
99
What are some possible side effects of cannabis?
More intense sexual experiences, and heightened creativity.
100
Do the side effects from cannabis come purely from THC?
No some side effects may come from expectations and social facilitation.
101
Can strong motivation turn the effects of cannabis off?
Yes!
102
What are the clinical uses of cannabis?
it helps in chronic pain and muscle spasms.[5] Low quality evidence suggests its use for reducing nausea during chemotherapy, improving appetite in HIV/AIDS, improving sleep, and improving tics in Tourette syndrome.
103
What can the continuous use of cannabis in high dose do to the human brain?
It can cause brain damage and intellectual deterioration.
104
What is drug addiction?
Addiction is defined as a chronic, relapsing disorder characterised by compulsive drug seeking, continued use despite harmful consequences, and long-lasting changes in the brain. It is considered both a complex brain disorder and a mental illness.
105
How does drug addiction arise?
Drug addiction arrises from taking drugs routinely which leads to habits that are not easily broken
106
Is drug addiction a brain disease?
Yes as drugs change the way the brain works.
107
Why do people start taking drugs?
1. To feel good, 2. To feel better, 3. To do better, and 4. Curiosity "Because others are doing it".
108
How do stimulant drugs make people feel good?
They have later effects which can give individuals self confidence and energy.
109
How do depressant drugs make people feel good?
They have later effects which can give individuals feelings of relaxation and satisfaction.
110
Why do people take drugs to feel better?
To relieve symptoms of distress from anxiety and stress related problems using both prescription (Lorazepam, diazepam) and Non-medical drugs (Alcohol, and cannabis)
111
Why do people take drugs to do better?
To chemically enhance themselves
112
Whats the problem with taking drugs?
Individuals may start to rely of drugs to 'feel normal' which can cause a development of tolerance and compulsive drug seeking.
113
What kind of structural changes can drug addiction have on the human brain?
Changes to the judgment, decision making, learning, memory, and self-control areas of the brain.
114
True or False? The loss of self control leads to addiciton.
True.
115
Why do people keep participating in drug use when they know that it is bad for them?
To keep feeling good, and when it stops feeling good, to avoid withdrawal.
116
What is important to remember about drug addiction?
That not all people will be the same!
117
Why do some people become addicted to drugs and some do not?
Risk factors and protective factors and also the ways that drugs are taken.
118
What are environmental risk and protective factors?
Home/school conditions.
119
What are biological risk and protective factors?
Genes and brain development.
120
Which ways of taking drugs are more likely to cause drug addiction?
Smoking or Injecting a drug increases addiction risk because it enters the brain rapidly producing a 'rush' of pleasure that fades quickly and causes repeated drug taking.
121
What are some example of risk factors?
Poor self-control, lack of parental supervision, poor social skills, poor academic performance, availability of drugs at school, and smoking and injecting drugs.
122
What are some examples of protective factors?
Good self-control, Parental monitoring and support, good social skills, good academic performance, school anti-drug policies, swallowing drugs.
123
What is meth mouth?
Severe tooth decay and gum disease, which often causes teeth to break or fall out. This is caused by the lack of dental and personal hygiene from the use of meth.
124
What is behavioural teratology?
the postnatal effects on behavior of prenatal exposure to drugs
125
What is the prenatal period?
The period before a baby is born and when it is developing in the womb.
126
If a pregnant woman consumes drugs can the woman's baby be exposed to these drugs?
Yes because the bloodstreams of the woman and the baby are connected through the placenta .
127
What can drugs do to a developing baby in the womb?
Cause both developmental and physical effects.
128
What is the “Foetal Alcohol Syndrome” FAS?
Physical and mental damage in a child due to alcohol exposure while in the womb. Distinctive facial features, learning disabilities, bone and joint deformities, heart defects and hyperactivity are some symptoms.
129
Why are the effects of recreational drug effects bad?
Because they cannot be controlled
130
What can illegal and legal recreational drugs do to unborn babies?
They can effect brain development and thus subsequent behaviour in unborn babies usually without physical abnormalities.
131
What can prenatal cocaine or methamphetamine cause?
It may cause hyperactivity, irritability, attention defects, and impaired language development.
132
What are the causes of prenatal marijuana?
May lead to poorer memory, and language development
133
What are the effects of caffeine of a developing foetus?
May cause increased anxiety and fear in the baby
134
Which is worse? Drugs in breastmilk or in the mother's blood stream during the prenatal period?
Drugs in the breast milk as it may be more concentrated than the drugs in the mother's bloodstream.
135
How many more times is nicotine more concentrated in a mother's breast milk than in her bloodstream?
It may be 3 times more concentrated.
136
What is the result of lactational cocaine or methamphetamine?
This may result in seizures and extreme irritability in newborn infants. Longer effects are not yet known. These drugs may lead to deficits in the development of attention and language.
137
What is the effect of lactational caffeine?
Increased anxiety and fear (This has been studies only in rats)
138
What has lactational marijuana during the first month of life been associated with?
Impaired motor development and other long lasting brain related effects.
139
Is your brain fully developed by puberty?
No, it is still developing up until the ages 18-20.
140
What is the immaturity of the adolescent brain due to?
The nucleus accumbens (Motivation, reward, and addiction site), The amygdala (Emotional reactions site), The hippocampus (Memory), and the prefrontal cortex (Complex information processing )
141
What does the immature adolescent nucleus accumbens cause?
Low effort activities producing high excitement. For example video games, skateboarding, driving fast cars and drug abuse.
142
What does the immature adolescent amygdala cause?
Explosive rather than controlled reactions and misleading signals. For example misinterpretation of neutral facial expressions.
143
What is the hippocampus involved with?
In memory formation but not storage.
144
Where does storage of memories occur in the brain?
Storage occurs in areas of the central cortex close to associated sensory areas relevant to the type of stimulus being stored.
145
What does the immature adolescent hippocampus cause?
Difficulty in memorizing but not in recalling information.
146
What does the prefrontal cortex do?
Meditates complex information processing needed for making judgements, controlling impulses, foreseeing consequences, setting goals and plans.
147
What does the immature adolescent prefrontal cortex cause?
Poor judgement, acting before thinking, risky behaviour without thinking through consequences ("It will never happen to me syndrome")
148
When is experimentation most common?
During adolescence.
149
What can the increases brain dopamine from recreational drug use do to the adolescent brain?
It may interfere with normal brain development.
150
What can adolescent drug abuse (especially cocaine, methamphetamine and other stimulants) cause?
Low motivation, emotional instability and anxiety, memory problems, and impaired judgement and impulsiveness.
151
What are the 2 most popular party pills?
Benzylpiperazine (BZP) and methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)
152
What are the long term behavioural consequences in adulthood of taking part pills?
Impaired memory and learning ability, attentional deficits, depression, anxiety and increased aggresion.
153
What is more used by young people? Cannabis to tobacco?
Cannabis
154
What increased risks are there is you smoke cannabis before 17?
Greater risk of cognitive impairment.
155
What are the effects of adolescent cannabis use?
Lower IQ, and possibly permanent leaning and memory impairments.
156
What disorders have an increased chance of occurring if an adolescent smokes cannabis?
Depression and schizophrenia
157
What is the rate of teenage addiction to cannabis?
1 in 6 teenagers
158
What can be the effect of sniffing solvents?
Cognitive impairments which may be permanent due to changes in the brain but depends of the amount inhaled.
159
What are synthetic cathinones?
Synthetic cathinones, more commonly known as "bath salts," are human-made stimulants chemically related to cathinone, a substance found in the khat plant. Khat is a shrub grown in East Africa and southern Arabia, where some people chew its leaves for their mild stimulant effects.
160
What are synthetic cathinones substitues for ?
Other stimulants such as cocaine, MDMA, and methamphetamine.
161
How can synthetic cathinones be taken?
Through snorting, swallowing, smoking, or injecting.
162
What are the side effects of synthetic cathinones?
Agitation, anxiety, aggression, nausea and vomiting, strokes, heart attacks, kidney failure (Especially in MDVP)
163
What are the most dangerous administration forms of drugs?
Snorting and injecting, these account for most deaths.
164
Can synthetic cathinones be addictive?
Yes
165
True or False? Young people who start drinking before 15 are 40% more likely to develop adult alcoholism.
True
166
What can heavy drinking during adolescence do?
Impair development of the adolescent brain of behavioural inhibitors and impulsiveness control.
167
What does adolescent alcohol abuse do to the hippocampus?
It leads it to be smaller in volume which can cause impaired formation of spatial and verbal memories.
168
Can intermittent alcohol drinking in adolescence cause persistent changes in the hippocampus?
Yes as it can reduce the proportion of mature hippocampus synaptic connections.
169
What does adolescent alcohol abuse do to the prefrontal cortex?
The prefrontal cortex and myelinated fibre tract volumes become smaller, especially in girls which may be related to the greater difficulty for females to eliminate alcohol.
170
What damage does alcohol do to the prefrontal cortex?
It can impair executive functioning and thus the management of reasoning, problem solving, and planning ect.
171
Does alcohol related brain damage occur in every adolescent drinker?
No, especially those who drink in small amounts.
172
What percentage of the worlds population consumes caffeine each day?
80%
173
What type of products have caffeine in them?
Coffee, tea, soft drinks, energy drinks, dark chocolate, and sometimes in panadols.
174
Do adolescents consume very high or very low levels of caffeine?
Very high
175
What can regular adolescent caffeine use cause?
The disruption of sleeping patterns causing daytime sleepiness.
176
What can the disruption of adolescent sleep patterns cause?
It may interfere with maturation of the central cortex and thus increased risk of later anxiety, drug abuse, and personality disorders.
177
What does the mixing of caffeine and alcohol do?
Turns a sleepy drunk into a wide awake drunk.
178
True or False? Caffeine can increase alcohol-related impairments.
True
179
Is there research to see how adolescent brain development and behaviour is affected by the mixing of alcohol and caffeine?
Not yet, at UC they are trialling this on rats. They found that female and not male rats were more anxious but not with either drug alone.
180
Why may have the research from UC found that anxiety was increased in female rats but not male rats when mixing alcohol and caffeine?
Because females are just more susceptible to alcohol effects that males. They have lower levels of the enzyme "Alcohol dehydrogenase" that breaks down alcohol therefore alcohol is eliminated from their bloodstream more slowly.
