Unit 2

Question 1

What effects do recreational drugs have

Answer 1

-cognitive,emotional and behavioural changes

Question 2

How do recreational drugs go about making their changes

Answer 2

They change what happens at synaptic transmission
-exact affect depends on which synapses it affects and where it occurs in the brain

Question 3

How does cocaine affect the nervous system

Answer 3

-acts as a powerful stimulant by blocking the reuptake of dopamine at synapses

Question 4

Where does the dopamine build up and what affect does it have (cocaine)

Answer 4

-builds up in synaptic cleft which intensifys its affect on DSN
-the inc dopamine levels overstimulate reward pathway leading to euphoric high

Question 5

What brain structures does cosine affect

Answer 5

-mesolimbic dopamine system
-reward system
-pre frontal cortex
-amygdala

Question 6

How does cocaine affect the amygdala

Answer 6

Stimulates it which heighten emotional reactions leading to anxiety and paranoia

Question 7

How does cocaine affect the pre frontal cortex

Answer 7

Imparts judgment and inc impulsiveness

Question 8

What does overstimulation of the reward pathway lead to

Answer 8

Feelings of euphoric highs

Question 9

What does the mesolimbic dopamine system include and what is it important for

Answer 9

-includes the nucleus accumbens and the VTA
-crucial for reward motivation and pleasure

Question 10

What are some cognitive affects of cocaine

Answer 10

1)blocking the reuptake of NT leads to a flood of signals which enhances focus,alertness and energy levels
2)poor decision making
3)lack of self control
4)poor memory and bad concentration
5)intense cravings

Question 11

What are some emotional effects of using cocaine

Answer 11

1)euphoria,confidence and exhilaration
2)heightened emotional intensity
3)socially engaged and more energy
4)anxiety,irritable,emotional sensitivity

Question 12

What are some effects of high dosages and long term use of cocaine?

Answer 12

1)paranoia
2)agitation
3)aggression
4) emotional disregulation eg panic attacks

Question 13

What happens when cocaine wears off

Answer 13

Emotional crash due to depletion of dopamine leading to feelings of depression anxiety and emotional numbness

Question 14

What are some long term affects of using cocaine?

Answer 14

1)impairs brains ability to naturally regulate mood and emotions
2)damages nervous system
3)dopamine receptor downregulation due to overstimulation means less pleasure in activities that they used to enjoy

Question 15

How does alcohol affect the CNS

Answer 15

-depressant which affects synaptic transmission by enhancing inhibitory effects of the NT GABA as well as reducing the excitatory effects of GLUTMATE

Question 16

How does alcohol works

Answer 16

1)makes GABA receptors more sensitive to DSN so it becomes more responsive to an inc in GABA
2)GABA has an inhibitory affect and so it slows down communication between neurons and diff brain areas
3)alcohol reduces GLUTMATE activity by blocking receptors for it without activating them

Question 17

What brain structures does alcohol effect

Answer 17

1)PFC
2)cerebellum
3)hippocampus

Question 18

How does alcohol affect the PFC

Answer 18

Poor judgment and risky behaviour

Question 19

How does alcohol affect the cerebellum

Answer 19

Clumsiness and loss of motor control=no balance

Question 20

How does alcohol affect the hippocampus

Answer 20

Responsible for memory formation so causes blackouts and memory lapses

Question 21

What are some emotional affects of alcohol

Answer 21

1)short term emotional highs
2)heightens emotional instability
3)mood swings and exaggerated emotional responses
4)relaxing and calming affect

Question 22

What are the long term affects of alcohol usage?

Answer 22

1)damages CNS
2)memory problems
3)damage to cerbellum=long term problems with Co-ordination and balance
4)tolerance and withdrawal symptoms

Question 23

What is a psychoactive drug

Answer 23

Substance that changes the functioning of the brain causing changes in thinking,feeling and behaviour

Question 24

What is a recreational drug

Answer 24

Psychoactive drug taken for non medical reasons because user wants to feel the effect

Question 25

What is the drug noradrenaline responsible for

Answer 25

Emotion,mood control,sleeping.dreaming,learning

Question 26

What is the drug dopamine responsible for

Answer 26

Emotions

Question 27

What is the drug serotonin responsible for

Answer 27

Mood control in lymbic system,pain,sleep,hunger,regulating body temp

Question 28

Step 1 of how drugs cause addiction

Answer 28

The drug inc the amount of dopamine in the reward pathways by boosting the activation of the synapses which creates feelings of euphoria

Question 29

Step 2 of how drugs cause addiction

Answer 29

The brain reacts to this inc in dopamine by reducing and down regulating it’s natural dopamine prod so when the drug wears off the person has less dopamine than usual

Question 30

Step 3 of how drugs cause addiction

Answer 30

The lack of dopamine causes dysphoria which motivates the user to take more of the drug to repeat the high

Question 31

Step 4 of how drugs cause addiction

Answer 31

The repeated drug use causes further down regulation of dopamine prod which makes them dependent on the drug and creates withdrawal symptoms causes by lack of dopamine in the brain,making them addicted to the drug

Question 32

What and when was olds and milners experiment

Answer 32

1954,wired rats to an apparatus which would deliver electrical stimulation to a part of the rats brain.

Question 33

What did olds and Milner find from the experiment

Answer 33

The rats would repeatedly press the button and ignore other possible rewards until they collapses from exhaustion

Question 34

What did olds and Milner conclude from the research

Answer 34

-discovery of the reward pathway which links to why people take recreational drugs -reward system relies on dopamine as its main NT

Question 35

Give the three ways that recreational drugs inc or dec activity at synapses

Answer 35

1)AGONISTS:activates receptors directly by pretending to be its NT 2)REUPTAKE:they block/inhibit the NT reuptake 3)ANTAGONISTS:they bind to the receptors without actually activating them

Question 36

1)AGONISTS

Answer 36

Example is LSD and it links to serotonin -inc synapse activity

Question 37

2)REUPTAKE INHIBITORS

Answer 37

Example is cocaine and links to dopamine -causes dopamine to build up by b,o king reuptake so activate the DSN more often -inc synapse activity

Question 38

3)ANTAGONISTS

Answer 38

Example is alcohol and links to glutamate -makes synapses less active by binding to receptors but doesn’t activate them (occupies receptor so NT can’t bind to it)

Question 39

What type of system is the Brain

Answer 39

Homeostatic

Question 40

What are three ways that the brain responds to continuous drug usage

Answer 40

1)changes in prod of NT 2)changes in the sensitivity of receptors 3)changes in the no of receptors

Question 41

What is the first sign of a change to the CNS

Answer 41

Tolerance,occurs when the brain adapts to the drug so the user has to take more of the drug for the same affect

Question 42

What is the second sign of changes to the CNS after continual use

Answer 42

Withdrawal,feeling bad when trying to quit or reduce intake of the drug as brain cannot function like it previously could

Question 43

Explain some signs of cocaine withdrawal and why

Answer 43

Dopamine levels dec so don’t enjoy things that they previously did and reward pathway doesn’t function as it previously did=miserable

Question 44

Explain some signs of alcohol withdrawal and why

Answer 44

GABA activity is impaired by alcohol so more stress and anxious as GABA causes a calming affect

Question 45

What leads to addiction

Answer 45

Withdrawal symptoms as user goes back to the drug to relieve these feelings

Question 46

When does drug addiction occur

Answer 46

When a user has diminished control over drug use and their normal functioning is affected

Question 47

What are the four signs of addiction

Answer 47

1)tolerance and withdrawal 2)impaired control (cravings,failing to quit) 3)social or work problems 4)risky use (taking the drug in dangerous ways;risk of overdose or infections)