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54 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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what is a drug?
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Any substance we can take into our body that has the power to change us either functionally or structurally.
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what is a Psychoactive Drug
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A drug that affects mental functioning
Also called psychotropic or mind-altering drugs Exert their influence through their actions on the nervous system, particularly the brain and spinal cord. |
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what Classification of Psychoactive Drugs and give expamples
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Drugs can be classified into the following categories
Opioids (e.g., morphine, oxycodone) Depressants (e.g., alcohol, xanax) Psychostimulants (e.g., cocaine, amphetamine) Psychedelic drugs (e.g., LSD) Marijuana |
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Why do we study psychoactive Drugs?
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Widely Consumed
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how popular are psychoactive Drugs?
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According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, in 2008 20.1 million Americans 12 and older (8.3% of the population) were using at least one illicit drug within the past month.
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binge drinkers what is and how many?
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five or more drinks on the same occasion. 58 million
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what is a heavy drinkers, and how many?
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2 or more drinks per day, 17 million
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how many Americans use tobacco?
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71 milloin
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how many Americans drink alcohol?
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129 million
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what is Pharmacokinetics ?
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Study how a drug moves through the body, including process of absorption, metabolism, distribution to tissues, and elimination.
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what is Pharmacodynamics ?
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Study of the ways in which a drug affects the living organism and the organs of the body
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Psychopharmacology
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The study of the effects of drugs on behavior
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Drugs must be absorbed into where?
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the bloodstream so that they can travel to the target site (brain and spinal cord) to produce their psychoactive effects
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what affects the rate of absorption?
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affected by the route of administration
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everything Oral Ingestion
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The administration of a drug through the mouth.
The drug dissolves in the fluids of the mouth, esophagus, or stomach and is carried to the intestines, where it is absorbed into the bloodstream. Most common for prescribed drugs Safest route of administration Effect of the drug is highly variable |
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Intramuscular (IM) injection
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Injection of a drug into a muscle, usually the shoulder, upper arm, thigh, or buttocks.
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Intraperitoneal (IP) injection
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Injection of a drug through the abdominal wall into the peritoneal cavity (space surrounding major organs).
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Intravenous (IV) injection
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Injection of a drug into a vein.
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Subcutaneous (SC) injection
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Injection of a drug under the skin.
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Intracerebral injection
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Injection of a drug directly into the brain.
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Intraventricular injection
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Injection of a drug into the cerebral ventricles.
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what is Inhalation?
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The administration of a drug through the lungs. (scarface)
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Absorption
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The administration of a drug by absorption through the skin or mucous membranes.
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Route can affect psychoactive experience:
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Faster delivery is associated with a greater euphoric effect.
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What do you know about the effects of alcohol?
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Men are less affected compared to women
Larger individuals are less affected than smaller individuals The longer you have been drinking the more money you spend. |
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what is alcohol dehydrogenase?
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Alcohol is broken down by the enzyme ;
enzyme ~60% more active in men than in women equals a higher concentration of alcohol in women. |
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Factors that affect distribution of drug
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Lipid solubility of the drug
More lipid soluble, the better able to cross cell membrane Ability to pass the Blood-Brain Barrier If too large it cannot pass and it will not produce an effect |
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what is the Half-life of a drug?
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the amount of time required for the body to metabolize half the amount of the drug.
The longer the half-life the longer a drug continues to have a physiological effect Cocaine : 0.5-1.5 hrs Amphetamine: 7-10 hours |
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Elimination of the drug from the body
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Enzymes breakdown drug and their metabolites are not normally going to produce psychoactive effects (similar to when a neurotransmitter is broken down).
The more quickly the drug is metabolized, the more quickly the drug effects will disappear. Half-life |
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everything synaptic neurotransmission
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Enzymes synthesize neurotransmitters.
Vesicles store newly synthesized neurotransmitters (NT). Action potential arrives and activates voltage-gated Calcium channels and vesicles fuse and release NT NT binds to the postsynaptic receptor and produces an effect (EPSP or IPSP or activation of G-protein) NT is taken back up to the presynaptic terminal by re-uptake pumps where enzymes breakdown the NT. |
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what do Drugs work ?
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affecting synaptic neurotransmission.
Drugs can either facilitate or inhibit synaptic neurotransmission |
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what is Agonist?
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A drug that mimics a neurotransmitter or enhances synaptic neurotransmission.
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what is an Antagonist?
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A drug that blocks a neurotransmitter or inhibits synaptic neurotransmission.
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effects of repeated drug use:
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Increasing the dose of drug produces increasingly larger effects
BUT THEN At this point, increasing the dose of the drug does not produce a stronger effect you can see in the Dose-Response Curve |
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mechanisms of tolerance
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A decrease in response to a given dose of a drug after repeated treatment
A given response (effect) requires a higher dose after repeated administration |
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Sensitization?
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An increase in response to a given dose of drug after repeated administration
A given response (effect) requires a lower dose after repeated administration opposite of tollerance |
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Mechanisms of Tolerance (or Sensitization)
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Several mechanisms can explain why more drug is needed to produce an effect
Metabolic Less drug is getting to the site of action due to an increase in the enzymes that break down the drug Example: alcohol dehydrogenase increases after repeated alcohol resulting in less alcohol getting to the brain. Functional Changes in structure or function at the site of action to compensate for drug. Our body is constantly adapting to maintain equilibrium (or balance) |
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what is Contingent drug tolerance?
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tolerance only develops to drug effects. Must experience drug effects in order to develop tolerance. (alchole sezure)
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Conditioned drug tolerance
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tolerance develops in the environment where the drug is administered. (alchole core temprature)
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what is Drug Addiction?
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the DSM specifies a group of substance-related disorders, where substance refers to typical drugs of abuse as well as some psychoactive medications that have abuse potential.
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what is Substance Dependence ?
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the more severe disorder, corresponds roughly to the notion of addiction.
Important note: the mere use of any drug, whether alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, cocaine, or heroin, does not constitute substance abuse or dependence. As indicated in the DSM, the use must be maladaptive, which means that harm is occurring to the user. Someone who snorts cocaine occasionally may be doing something illegal and dangerous. Has the potential for harm and subsequent substance dependence. But if DSM criteria for substance abuse or dependence are not met, then we cannot claim that the person is an addict or even that they are abusing the drug. |
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biopsychology view of addiction
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Current view of “addiction” in biopsychology is that addiction is the result of long-term neuroadapations in the brain that are caused by chronic drug use.
The brain changes as a result of repeated drug use. “Addiction is a disease like heart disease” Perhaps addiction is a result of damage to the No go system: Go (subcortical) vs. No Go (prefrontal cortex) – Hypofrontality. Vulnerability to addiction is heightened during early exposure to drug use. |
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phisical dependence
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Drug dependence occurs to avoid withdrawal symptoms
Once an individual has become physically dependent due to repeated drug use, attempts at abstinence lead to highly unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. Relief from withdrawal symptoms promotes drug-seeking behavior through a process of negative reinforcement, thus leading ultimately to a continuous behavioral loop consisting of repeated abstinence attempts followed by relapses. |
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Incentive Sensitization
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Drugs produce not only negative and positive reinforcing effects, but also incentive motivational effects.
Distinguishes between drug liking (that is, the high) and drug wanting (that is, craving). Over the course of developing an addiction, there is a marked increase in wanting the drug even though there is no change or even a decrease in drug liking (as a result of tolerance for example). |
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Positive Reinforcement Model
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Drug serves as a positive reinforcer. We use and abuse drugs because we “like” the experience.
The drug produces an intense euphoric effect that drives the person to seek out the drug. Relapse occurs because individuals want to “re-experience” the euphoric effects. Accounts for why people continue to take drugs when there are no withdrawal symptoms (e.g., cocaine). Criticisms of the Positive reinforcement model: Not all drugs that produce dependence produce euphoric effects (e.g., nicotine, alcohol). A lot of individuals do not feel the euphoric effects anymore, but still feel compelled to take the drug. |
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Mesolimbic Dopamine System
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The “rewarding” effects of drugs are attributed to dopamine within the mesolimbic system (VTA to Nucleus accumbens)
Referred to as the “reward pathway” This pathway is activated by natural rewards (e.g., sex), drugs of abuse (e.g., cocaine, morphine, nicotine, alcohol), conditioned stimuli (stimuli associated with the drug), even stress. We still do not have a clear understanding of the changes occurring in the mesolimbic dopamine system after repeated drug use. We know that addiction is not a problem of “reward” We still do not have an FDA approved treatment for cocaine abuse/dependence. |
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what is alchol?
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A powerful depressant that strongly influences consciousness and the ability to respond effectively to the environment.
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what are the types of alchole?
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Beer (alcohol content = 3.6% to 6.0%)
Wine (alcohol content = 10% to 14%) Distilled spirits (alcohol content = 40% to 50%) |
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what is the BAC femals
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.08
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what is the BAC males
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.06
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Effects of Alcohol on the CNS:
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Alcohol enhances GABA (main inhibitory neurotransmitter) receptors by enhancing GABA function (similar to Xanax and Valium – anxyolytics).
Alcohol decreases glutamatergic transmission by inhibiting the NMDA receptor and decreasing levels of glutamate (main excitatory neurotransmitter) Alcohol elevates levels of dopamine by enhancing activity of the mesolimbic pathway. |
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Withdrawal from Alcohol (opposite effects on CNS):
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Decreased GABA function
Increased Glutamate function Decreased dopamine function |
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Long-Term Effects of Alcohol
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Tolerance and Dependence (withdrawal symptoms)
For some, the withdrawal symptoms are very severe. 5-6 hrs post-drinking: tremors, headache, nausea, sweating, vomiting, and abdominal cramps. 15-30 hrs: convulsive activity 24-48 hrs: delirium tremens – may last 3-4 days Disturbing hallucinations Bizarre delusions Confusion Tachycardia (rapid heart beat) Brain damage after many years of drinking can also occur in part due to inadequate nutrition, particularly thiamine (VitaminB1). Leads to Korsakoff’s syndrome (memory loss, sensory and motor dysfunction, and eventually dementia) Cirrhosis – liver damage |
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liver damage
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normal to
Fatty liver: Alcohol is metabolized first, so liver begins to store fats to Cirrhosis : Liver cell damage and scarring of the liver |
