alcohol and drugs of abuse Flashcards
what is the difference between classical and operant conditioning
Classical conditioning is a simple way we learn without even realising it/unconsciously. It happens when we start to connect/associate a certain behaviour with something else that happens around the same time. Basically, we learn by linking two things together.Classical conditioning is a learning process where you learn to associate two things together because they happen close in time. For example, the Pavlov study:
UCS (food) –> UCR (salivation)
(unconditioned stimulus)
NS (bell ) –> no response
(neutral stimulus)
UCS + NS –> UCR
NS is now CS
CS –> CR
little albert:
a loud bang associated with appearance of rabbit, over time when the rabbit appeared with the bang, little albert got scared.
Operant conditioning is a way of learning where behaviours change based on the consequences that follow them. Positive reinforcement: If you do something and get a reward, you’re likely to do it again. For example, the reward of a drug makes you more likely to take it. Negative reinforcement: But if you do something and get punished, you might think twice before doing it again so for example, drug users may experience withdrawal symptoms and take the drug to get rid of the discomfort. So, we learn to repeat actions that give us good results and avoid actions that lead to bad result
what is tolerance and what increases tolerance in terms of environments?
Tolerance is based on the environment in which you take the substance.
If you smoke drugs in your bedroom, if you take it somewhere else, they will have a stronger effect.
when is the reinforced behavior strengthened
The most effective reinforcement is given immediately after a behaviour (so reward or punishment has to occur straight after to strengthen that behaviour). For example, with drug use, an immediate increase in reward after drug intake makes you more likely to increasingly take it.
but it is not recommended to have continuous reinforcement, only randomly or discontinuously
what regions of the brain are involved with the associated made with operant conditioning
Mesolimbic pathway: transports dopamine from the VTA to the nucleus accumbens, amygdala, and hippocampus. The nucleus accumbens is found in the ventral medial portion of the striatum
NC is main site of dopamine release
in addition, there are further projects from VTA-NC to the prefrontal cortex (decision making, not thinking about consequences)
what are the different categories of conditioned drug responses
- drug-like conditioned response
*like conditioned euphoria (get a reaction when you see the drug)
*placebo effect (because you assume it works as the drug has worked, and therefore it does work)
-drug opposite conditioned response
*Conditioned Withdrawal
What It Is: This occurs when your body starts to exhibit withdrawal symptoms in response to environmental cues associated with substance use, without the actual consumption of the substance.
Example: If someone frequently smokes in a specific area and usually experiences nicotine withdrawal symptoms later, just being in that area could trigger feelings of withdrawal even if they haven’t smoked there recently.
*Conditioned Tolerance
What It Is: This involves your body building up a tolerance to a substance in specific environmental contexts where the substance is frequently used, leading to diminished effects of the substance in those contexts.
Example: If someone habitually drinks alcohol in a particular setting, they may find that they need to consume more alcohol to feel its effects in that setting compared to a new or different environment because their body has adapted to the presence of alcohol there.
when is the risk greater of overdose
in a novel environment
what is the treatment for drugs of abuse including alcohol (drug substitution, detoxification)
*diazepam- detoxification treatment
traces of alcohol removed from body
Enhancing GABA Activity as Diazepam binds to GABA receptors in the Brain, particularly GABA-A receptor. Thus, increasing chloride ion flow makes them less likely to fire as it hyperpolarizes neurons, essentially making them less excitable. As a result, diazepam produces a calming effect on the brain, reducing feelings of anxiety, relaxing muscles, and promoting sleep. and also counteracts the increased glutamatergic pathway as its compensatory/homeostatic mechanism balances effects of high glutamate.
*Methadone-drug substitution therapy
long-acting opioid therapy for heroin dependent patients.
aids in alleviating the withdrawal symptoms
allows for weening off of the substance, ie slowly reducing dose of it with minimal risk of withdrawal.
minimises problems with illegal drugs such as unknown contents and unhealthy contents (safer)
give some examples of blocking and aversive pharmacotherapies
examples of blocking include naltrexone, which minimises the reward effect of the drug (for heroin users)
examples of aversive (negative) therapy include antabuse for alcohol, which creates adverse effects such as feeling sick when drinking alcohol. Antabuse is an implant that is put under the skin
what are some psychosocial interventions and how do they work
Behavioural therapy- use of aversive pharmacotherapies to reduce future use as it forces avoidance behaviors.Thinking carefully about what leads to drug use can help a person stay away from things that trigger it and make a plan for how to handle these situations if they happen. And provide them rewards for not using drugs.
CBT- changing negative irrational thoughts to more positive thoughts, leading to positive emotions and behavioural outcomes.
this involves identifying triggers to drug use and providing patients with training in various key skills
such as relaxation training, problem solving skills, relapse prevention training.cognitive reconstructing - changing how you view the world- such as seeing that alcohol is harmful.
