Addiction: Explanations for nicotine addiction - Brain neurochemistry

Question 1

What is brain chemistry?

Answer 1

An internal explanaion for nicotine addicton that relates to the chemicals inside the brain that regulate psychological functioning

Question 2

What does brain chemistry state?

Answer 2

That nicotine addiction is formed due to the repeated measure activation of the brain’s reward pathway

Question 3

What happens inside the brain when an individual smokes a cigarette?

Answer 3

1. Smoking occurs
2. Ventral Tegmental Area
3. Mesolimbic pathway - Nucleus Accumbens
4. Pre-frontal Cortex

Question 4

1. Smoking Occurs

Answer 4

Nicotine is inhaled, reaches the blood stream
Activates nACh receptors and the brai’s reward pathway in less then 10 seconds

Question 5

2. Ventral Tegmental Area

Answer 5

Nicotine indirectly stimulates the VTA (where a larhe number of dopamine neurons are concentrated)

Question 6

3. Mesolimbic Pathway - Nucleus Accumbens

Answer 6

Dopmaine is released into Mesolimbic pathway to D2 receptors on nucleus accumbens
Leads to euphoria, increased alertness and decreased anxiety
(motivation to perform behaviour again)

Question 7

4. Pre-Frontal Cortex

Answer 7

Dopamin hits NAc, triggers release of more dopamine from NAc to mesocortical pathway to pre-frontal cortex
Responsible for decision making and so maks the decision to keep performing behaviour to get same reward

Question 8

What happen when soemone isn’t smoking?

Answer 8

Nicotine receptors begin to function again
Leads to withdrawal symptoms
Motivation to smoke again

Question 9

Who researched brain neurochemistry and the role of dopamine?

Answer 9

Mc Evoy

Question 10

What did Mc Evoy study?

Answer 10

Smoking behaviour in people with Schizophrenia who were taking a drug

Question 11

What was the drug used in Mc Evoy’s study?

Answer 11

A dopamine antagonist by blocking dopamine receptors, lwoering the level of dopamine activity

Question 12

What did MC Evoy find?

Answer 12

People taking the drug showed a significant increase in smoking

Question 13

What is the link?

Answer 13

Patients sought nicotine to increase levels of dopamine in brain and experience euphoria

Question 14

Practical applications - what does the principles of the theory suggest?

Answer 14

Nicotine is caused by high levels of dopamine and an activation of the brain’s reward pathway

Question 15

Practical Applications - what treatment did it lead to?

Answer 15

Nicotine replacement therapy

Question 16

What is NRT effective in?

Answer 16

Reducing nicotine addiction by providing the individual with nicotine in a less harmful form e.g., patch instead of a cigarette and slowly reducing the dosage overtime, reducing the tolerance