CHAP 3 /SLIDE 3 Flashcards
The 4 Groups of Substances
Depressants
Stimulants
Opioids
Hallucinogens
This group of substances: _________
- Result in behavioural sedation & relaxation
- Decrease CNS activity & reduce levels of physiological arousal
Include: _____________________
Depressants
– alcohol, sedatives (calming, hypnotic, sleep-inducing & anxiety drugs)
The commonly used substance in the group of depressants is ______
Alcohol
Apparent stimulation is the initial effect of ______ (although a depressant)
Initially - feel more _______
Then gradually - _________
Alcohol
- Out going
- Reaction time slows, judgment becomes poor, motor coordination is impaired & etc.
Effects of alcohol on the body
Orally administered
Following ingestion:
Easily absorbed from the GI tract:
10% absorbed by the stomach
It then travels to the small intestine where the remaining (90%) is absorbed into the bloodstream
Of the alcohol that reaches general circulation:
95% metabolized by the liver (& excreted in urine)
5% is excreted by the lungs breath analyzer test
Effects of alcohol on the brain
- Alcohol has an effect on numerous neurotransmitters, including
GABA – may explain the anti-anxiety properties of alcohol
Dopamine– explains the pleasurable feelings experienced when drinking alcohol
Serotonin– may explain alcoholic cravings
Glutamate – may explain blackouts/loss of memory of the period of intoxication
Signs of Alcohol intoxication include ________
Mood lability (mood swings), slurred speech, impaired judgement, incoordination, impaired attention/memory, unsteady gait
Signs of Alcohol Withdrawals include ______
Sweating, hand / body tremors, transient visual or auditory hallucinations , agitation, seizures, insomnia, nausea/vomiting, anxiety (extreme cases = Delirium Tremens)
pattern of problems including learning difficulties, behaviour deficits & characteristic physical flaws due to alcohol in the womb
Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)
____________ results in confusion & loss of muscle coordination
- Caused by a deficiency in thiamine (a vitamin metabolized poorly by heavy drinkers)
Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome
Consequences of excessive drinking
Liver disease & cardiovascular disorders
Dementia
Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome
Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS):
______: The deterioration of brain functioning
Can be a direct result of neurotoxicity or poisoning of the brain by excessive amounts of alcohol
Dementia (alcohol induced)
Prevalence of Alcohol in Society
Men are more likely to drink & do so more heavily
Heavy drinking:
Men: 5+ drinks on one occasion at least once a month in the past year
Women: 4+ drinks on one occasion at least once a month in the past year
Higher rates of alcohol use disorders in European (Hungary and Russia) & American (USA) regions
Rate of alcohol use varies across countries due to
Different attitudes towards drinking
Availability of alcohol
Family norms
Physiological reactions
Predictors of later overuse of Alcohol
- Drinking at an early age(i.e., between 11-14 years old) is predictive of developing later alcohol-related disorders
- Lacking (or experiencing milder) physiological response to the sedative effects of alcohol may increase the likelihood of later misuse
- Mixing alcohol with highly caffeinated energy drinks may be problematic
This group of substances: _________
Enhance alertness & activity & elevate mood, arousal & concentration
Include: amphetamines, cocaine, nicotine & caffeine
The most commonly used drugs in Canada (______)
Stimulants
(Caffeine)
The Most commonly used stimulant in North America
(Caffeine)
Caffeine use disorders
cognitive, biological, behavioural & social problems associated with the use & misuse of caffeine
Caffeine In small doses: __________
Caffeine In larger doses: causes ______
elevates mood & reduces fatigue
insomnia
Caffeine is known as a ______________, because it is less harmful than other addictive drugs (but still problematic)
“A gentle stimulant”
Regular use of Caffiene results in
Tolerance
Dependence
Intoxication
Withdrawal (headache, fatigue, drowsiness, irritability, difficulty concentrating etc.)
Tobacco-related disorders
Cognitive, biological, behavioural & social problems associated with the use & misuse of nicotine
_______ , another highly common stimulant drug is a psychoactive substance that produces patterns of dependence, tolerance & withdrawal
Nicotine
Smoking prevalence is higher in men or women?
Men
___________ is typically inhaled into the lungs - and enters the ______
After ____ seconds reaches the brain
Nicotine / Tobacco
blood stream
7-19
Withdrawal symptoms of Nicotine include:
depressed, insomnia, irritability, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, increased appetite & weight gain
Consequences of nicotine
In small doses, it can relieve stress & improve mood
… but can also cause high blood pressure & increase risks of heart disease & cancer
Bi-directional relationship between smoking & depression
Simultaneous smoking may make drinking alcohol more rewarding in terms of the effects on the dopamine reward system
intoxication symptoms of Amphetamines & cocaine
pupil dilation, hyperactivity, hypervigilance, alertness
Withdrawal symptoms of Amphetamines & cocaine
fatigue, insomnia/hypersomnia, increased appetite, unpleasant dreams
Heroine, opium, codeine & morphine are examples of which group of substances
opioids
natural chemicals in the opium poppy that have a narcotic effect
opiate
family of addictive psychoactive substances that include:
Natural opiates, synthetic variations & endorphins - which cause euphoria and reduction in pain
opioids
Opioid-related disorders
cognitive, biological, behavioural & social problems associated with the use & misuse of opiates & their synthetic variants
_______ can cause euphoria, drowsiness, slowed breathing or death
Opioids
_______ can also reduce pain and thus are sometimes given to patients before/after surgery (i.e., _____)
Opioids
(ie. morphine)
Canada is currently experiencing an _______ crisis
opioid
To prevent opioid use disorders, ______ must be aware of the potential for misuse & minimize ____________
Clinicians
inappropriate prescriptions
intoxication symptoms of Opioids
pupillary constriction, drowsiness, slurred speech, impairment in attention/memory
Withdrawal symptoms of Opioids
pupillary dilation, sweating, insomnia, muscle aches
The consequences of which group of stubstances causes:
Mortality are 6 to 20 times more than the general population
Relapse is common
Many replace these with alcohol or other drugs
Only 30% experience stable abstinence
Increased risk of HIV infection
Opioids
The high or rush experienced by opioid users is due to activation of the ____________________
the body’s natural opioid system (i.e., endorphins) by the opioids taken (i.e., heroine, opium, morphine & etc.)
This group of substances: _________
- Alter sensory perception & produce delusion, paranoia & hallucinations
The main two substances listed on the slide of these are ______ & ______
Hallucinogens
Cannabis and LSD
_______
- Produced synthetically in laboratories
- Sometimes referred to as “____”
- Trips and “bad trips”
- Tolerance develops quickly
LSD
“acid”
Cannabis is a tricky drug to classify due to its unique properties however historically and in the slide, Cannabis can _________________
Can have effects that fall in 3 categories: depressants, stimulants & hallucinogen
Hallucinogens can be problematic due to posing the possibility of _______ & ________
psychotic reactions & “bad trips”
name given to the dried parts of the cannabis or hemp plant
The widely used illegal substance (but legal in Canada)
Marijuana
Common reactions / intoxication of cananbis include:
However, _____________
altered perceptions, mood swings, heightened sensory experiences etc.
Can produce very different reactions in people
Withdrawals of Cannabis can include
irritability, anxiety, sleep difficulty, decreased appetite / weight loss, restlessness
Consequences of misuse of Cannabis
- In large doses –paranoia, hallucinations, dizziness
- Frequent long-term use may result in impaired memory, concentration, motivation & cannabis use disorder
- Overdose can induce panic attacks & psychosis
-Synthetic marijuana (‘fake weed’, ‘k2’,or ‘spice’) hallucinations, seizures or heart rhythm problems - Some experience tolerance, others experience reverse tolerance Use for medical purposes is controversial
Dopamine pathways (dopamine reward system)
Ventral tegmental area (VTA; midbrain, brainstem) high concentration of dopamine
mesolimbic pathway spans from the VTA to the nucleus accumbens (striatum) & other limbic regions
- **Activation is necessary for experiencing reward & reinforcement
- Each drug increases the amount of dopamine released in this pathway differently
; midbrain, brainstem) area with high concentration of dopamine
Ventral tegmental area (VTA)
spans from the VTA to the nucleus accumbens (striatum) & other limbic regions
mesolimbic pathway
Natural rewards & drug stimuli stimulate the release of ______ from the ___ into the _____ (brain’s ‘pleasure centre’)
dopamine
VTA
accumbens
During withdrawal syndrome - substantial decrease in dopamine in the ______ (pleasure centre of the brain)
nucleus accumbens
removes dopamine from the synaptic cleft
Dopamine transporter
All classes of drugs increase _____ levels in the brain, but in_________
dopamine
different ways
Effect of drugs on dopamine
Some (i.e., alcohol & nicotine) indirectly excite dopamine-producing neurons in the VTA to they generate more action potentials
Others (i.e., cocaine) act at the nerve terminal bind to dopamine-transporter & block the reuptake of dopamine
process that allows neurotransmitters to be taken back into the presynaptic neuron
Reuptake
Operant conditioning (B.F. Skinner)
Type of learning that is controlled by the consequences of one’s behaviours
Can explain how addiction develops
Reinforcement any consequence that strengthens a behaviour
Positive reinforcement a pleasant stimulus (i.e., the high feeling) following a behaviour (i.e., using drugs) which strenghtens the behaviour
environmental stimuli associated with drug use which motivate drug seeking & explain relapse
Drug cues
Classical Conditioning (Pavlov):
Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS) i.e., cocaine
Unconditioned Response (UCR) i.e., the high feeling
Conditioned Stimulus (CS) i.e., straw
Conditioned Response (CR) i.e., the ‘high’ feeling (craving cocaine)
The difference between Classical and Operant conditioning is that
The most important difference is that Pavlov’s conditoinng uses unconditioned or natural responses to create conditioned responses, whereas in operant conditioning uses the direct “consequences” of beahviour to reinforce or punish it.
What theory explains how certain cues are associated with drug use
Classical Conditioning (Pavlov)
(SLIDE SAYS THIS BUT OPERANT MAY ALSO WORK IN SOME CASES, STILL MOSTLY CLASSICAL!!!!)
Factors involved in relapse & craving include
- Re-exposure to the drug
- Exposure to drug cues (enviromental)
- Exposure to enviromental stressors
