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PSYC 207 > (6) addiction > Flashcards

(6) addiction Flashcards

1
Q

How does gender affect risk of drug addiction?

A
  • dependent on drug, but usually men
  • but gap is closing: from 5-1 to 3-1 (men-women)
  • women - “telescoping”: when addicted to drugs, progress thru stages of drug use faster than men
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2
Q

How does age affect risk of drug addiction?

A
  • often begins in adolescence: extended exposure to drug

- but “telescoping”

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3
Q

How does depression & anxiety affect risk of drug addiction?

A

both causes & effects of addiction

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4
Q

How does ethnicity & genetics affect risk of drug addiction?

A
  • evidence for predisposition to addiction: e.g. genes for alcohol metabolism, family clusters
  • no single gene for addiction/particular addiction
  • troubles w/ implicit bias in society/researchers
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5
Q

How does environment affect risk of drug addiction?

A
  • family history: exposed to drug use as socially normal, more likely to use that drug
  • poverty: more likely to find ppl w/ addiction problems
  • chronic stress
  • early childhood adversity
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6
Q

What causes drug addiction?

A

changes in structure & function of brain:

- drugs of abuse act on brain
- alter motivation, leads to increased drug-seeking behaviour
- addiction is not "failure of willpower"
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7
Q

What are the stages of drug addiction?

A
  1. intoxication
  2. development of dependence
  3. preoccupation & anticipation
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8
Q

What are the features of drug addiction? Which is the most important feature?

A
  • pleasing effects
  • craving
  • tolerance
  • escalation of intake
  • dependence
  • relapse
  • continued use despite adverse effects on life (most important)
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9
Q

What is the caffeine example of the opponent process theory of addiction? (baseline)

A

Example of tolerance: caffeine

baseline conditions: adenosine builds up thruout day & binds to adenosine receptors, causing us to feel sleepy

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10
Q

What is the caffeine example of the opponent process theory of addiction? (new)

A

new coffee drinker:

  • caffeine: adenosine antagonist, blocks adenosine receptors
  • prevents adenosine from binding & signal no longer transmitted
  • cells deprived of adenosine signals, realise smth gone wrong & adapt to changes
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11
Q

What is the caffeine example of the opponent process theory of addiction? (chronic)

A

chronic coffee drinker: additional adenosine receptors added

  • overcome effects of caffeine
  • same amount of adenosine binding to receptors, feel just as sleepy before drinking coffee
  • drink more coffee, then more adenosine receptors added (repeats)
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12
Q

What is the caffeine example of the opponent process theory of addiction? (chronic skips)

A

chronic coffee drinker who skips morning coffee:

  • same amount of adenosine & way more adenosine receptors w/ no caffeine
  • many adenosine binding to receptors
  • exaggerated effect of adenosine: feel extra sleepy, headache
  • withdrawal symptoms
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13
Q

What features does the opponent process theory of addiction explain? Why is it generally considered insufficient to understand addiction?

A
  • ppl go back to using drug even after withdrawal symptoms have disappeared
  • explains some drug taking behaviours
  • but cannot explain relapse & why drugs w/ little withdrawal are so intensely motivating
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14
Q

Is dopamine the pleasure molecule?

A

no

  • all addictive drugs directly/indirectly increase dopamine transmission
  • all increase dopamine function but not all feel pleasurable
  • can be intensely motivated to do smth but not necessarily for pleasure
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15
Q

What is evidence for dopamine not being the pleasure molecule? (SNc)

A
  • substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc): other main dopamine producing area in brain
  • Parkinson’s patients:
    - lost SNc
    - dopamine levels change
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16
Q

What is evidence for dopamine not being the pleasure molecule? (L-DOPA)

A
  • crosses BBB & enzymes in brain convert L-DOPA into dopamine
  • Parkinson’s patients:
    - restore motor functions
    - no change in baseline levels of pleasure
17
Q

What is evidence for dopamine not being the pleasure molecule? (schizophrenia)

A

Schizophrenia patients:

  • hyperactivity of dopamine
  • don’t have higher baseline pleasure
18
Q

What is evidence for dopamine not being the pleasure molecule? (Salomone)

A

Salomone:
- pleasure & motivation separable things, effects of dopamine due to motivation not pleasure

  • dopamine receptor antagonists:
    • decrease motivation but not pleasure - choose low effort, low reward option
19
Q

What does dopamine do?

A
  • some stimuli have innate/learned incentives
  • incentives facilitate DA release onto NAcc: teaching signals, motivational signals, other functions
  • NAcc gets many inputs, guide behaviour (valuation)
20
Q

What is the incentive sensitization theory (dopamine theory of addiction)? What features does it explain? Why is it generally considered a more comprehensive theory of addiction?

A
  • separates liking (pleasure) vs. wanting (motivation)
  • all addictive drugs increase DA
  • drug use adds incentive salience to drug stimuli:
    • artificially increase DA levels
    • sight of drug cues facilitates motivation
  • explains important elements that withdrawal theory cannot
21
Q

What is treatment for addiction?

A

psychological & pharmacological therapies:

  • detoxification (rehab)
  • drug replacement therapy: take dangerous drug & replace w/ safer alternative
  • behavioural therapy
  • cognitive behavioural therapy
  • twelve-step programs
22
Q

Why is treatment generally very unsuccessful?

A
  • drug addiction changes structure & function of brain itself:
    • long term changes depending on usage
    • changes seen in areas VTA targets: frontal cortex, nucleus accumbens, hippocampus
  • focused on notion that if you can get thru withdrawal, you can be clean: drug taking not driven primarily by withdrawal
23
Q

How can we treat/cure drug addiction?

A
  • have individuals avoid cues associated w/ drug

- successful treatment for addiction requires large changes in social, economic & mental health conditions

24
Q

What does the dopamine theory of addiction suggest about recovery from addiction?

A
  • drug taking driven by change in motivational system: artificial increase in DA levels
  • main problems driving addiction itself not solved: poverty, stress
  • participants left in feedforward mechanism:
    • increased impulsivity, decreased behavioural flexibility
    • makes them more predisposed to problems w/ addiction in future
25
Q

Are we addicted to food/sex/video games/etc. in the same way as drug addiction?

A

behavioural addictions exist & have overlapping mechanism but not the same

  • share some similarities w/ drug addiction
  • act on the same system (i.e. DA)
  • generally co-morbid w/ drug addiction
  • reward circuits active for natural & drug rewards
26
Q

How does dopamine agonists affect Parkinson’s disease?

A

cause “impulse control disorders”:

- problem gambling
- hypersexuality
- compulsive shopping

PSYC 207 (12 decks)

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