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Brain and Behavior > Chapter 6 - Drugs and Hormones > Flashcards

Chapter 6 - Drugs and Hormones Flashcards

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1
Q

psychopharmacology

A

the study of how drugs affect the nervous system and behavior

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2
Q

psychoactive drugs

A

substances that cause changes in moods, thoughts, or behaviors
- used to treat neurophysiological disorders, or taken recreationally
- sometimes abused

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3
Q

routes of administration

A

enteral:
- via the digestive system
- have a slower effect because they must cross more barriers before reaching the CNS
parenteral:
- not via the digestive system

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4
Q

enteral routes of administration

A
  • oral: through the mouth (most convenient but slow)
  • rectal: through the rectum
  • gastric: through the stomach
  • buccal/sublabial: between lips and gums
  • sublingual: under the tongue
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5
Q

parenteral routes of administration

A
  • subcutaneous: injecting the drug just below the skin
  • intramuscular: injecting the drug into the muscle
  • transdermal: using patches to administer the drug through the skin
  • inhalation: breathing in the drug
  • intravenous: injecting the drug into veins
  • spinal or intracranial: directly into the CNS (fastest route and only low doses needed)
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6
Q

order of routes of administration (slowest to fastest)

A
  • oral
  • transdermal/intramuscular
  • inhalation
  • intravenous
  • spinal/intracranial
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7
Q

blood-brain barrier

A

drugs must escape from the bloodstream and enter the brain’s extracellular fluid to be active in the brain
- however the passage of the drug from blood to the brain is hampered by the blood-brain barrier (the tight junctions between the cells of blood vessels in the brain that block the passage of most substances)

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8
Q

3 areas in the brain which do not have the blood-brain barrier

A
  • pituitary gland: its main purpose is to release hormones into the blood, and hormone release is triggered in part by other hormones carried to the pituitary by the blood
  • area postrema (in the brainstem): it detects toxic substances in the blood and triggers vomiting to expel any potential toxins still in the stomach
  • pineal gland: it regulates the day/night cycle based in part on hormones that reach it through the blood
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9
Q

how are pharmaceuticals removed from the body?

A

through the liver, kidneys, and intestines
- catabolized or broken down by cytochrome P450 enzyme in the liver or biole in the intestines
- excreted by urine, faeces, sweat, breastfeeding, and exhaled air
- substances not excreted can become poisonous

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10
Q

steps of drug neurotransmission

A
  • synthesis
  • storage
  • release
  • receptor interaction
  • inactivation
  • reuptake
  • degradation
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11
Q

synthesis

A

the production of a neurotransmitter can take place in the cell body, the axon, or the terminal

neurotransmitters are made in 2 ways:
- made in the cell body and transported on microtubules to the axon terminal
- made in the axon terminal from building blocks derived from food

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12
Q

storage

A

storage of the neurotransmitter takes place in granules, vesicles, or both

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13
Q

release

A

the release of the neurotransmitter is from the terminal presynaptic membrane into the synapse

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14
Q

receptor interaction

A

the receptor interaction takes place in the post-synaptic membrane when the transmitter operates on an embedded receptor

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15
Q

inactivation

A

inactivation of the neurotransmitter can occur via reuptake or degradation

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16
Q

reuptake

A

the reintegration in the presynaptic terminal for re-use

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17
Q

degradation

A

the degradation of a surplus of neurotransmitters by synaptic mechanisms and removal of unnecessary by-products from the synapeses is another procedure

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18
Q

agonist drug

A

mimics or enhances the effect of a neurotransmitter

19
Q

antagonist drug

A

operates against the effect of a neurotransmitter

20
Q

tolerance

A

the reduction of a response to a drug by repeated exposure
- drugs are broken down within the body
- the reaction to a substance decreases with time

21
Q

3 mechanisms in which the body adapts to intake of non-body substances

A
  • metabolic tolerance: the number of enzymes needed to break down the drug in the liver, blood, and brain increases more rapidly
  • cellular tolerance: the activity in the brain cells adapts to minimize the effects of the drug in the blood
  • learned tolerance: people learn to live with the demands of living with a standard intake of the drug and they learn to gradually expand their intake threshold
22
Q

sensitization

A

sensitization to a drug is an increased responsiveness to equal doses
- mainly developed by intermittent drug use, and can lead to addiction
- neural basis of sensitization lies partly in the changes in the synapse
- tied to novel cues in the environment (e.g. being in an unfamiliar environment while taking the drug)

23
Q

psycholeptics

A

substances that inhibit psychological functions

sedatives, hypnotics, anxiolytics
- GABA is generally an inhibitor
- alcohol and anti-anxiety medication should never be taken together

antipsychotics, “neuroleptics”
- dopamine (DA) is generally activating
- used to treat schizophrenia

24
Q

psychoanaleptics

A

substances that stimulate psychological functions

antidepressants
- serotonin (SE) is generally activating
- monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors, tricyclic antidepressants (TCA), selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)

stimulants (cocaine, amphetamine, MDMA)
- dopamine (DA) is generally activating

25
Q

psychodysleptics

A

substances that disorganize psychological functions

narcotic analgesics (heroin, morphine, beta-endorphin)
- highly addictive, sleep-inducing, pain-relieving

hallucinogens, “psychedelics” (magic muschrooms, LSD, cannabinoids)
- non-specific amplifiers whose effects depend on the mood, intention, and surroundings of the person taking them

26
Q

factors influencing individual responses to medication

A
  • disinhibition theory
  • learning
  • behavioral myopia
27
Q

disinhibition theory

A

alcohol affects the judgment-making and impulse-controlling areas of the brain (cortex) while sparing the areas related to instinctual behaviors like aggression and desire (subcortical regions)

28
Q

learning

A

behavior on drugs depends on the context, culture, group, and setting

29
Q

behavioral myopia

A

the tendency for people on drugs to respond to immediate and salient cues while ignoring more distant cues and possible consequences

30
Q

substance abuse

A

a pattern of drug use in which people have chronic and excessive reliance on a drug, placing it at the heart of their lives

31
Q

withdrawal symptoms

A

negative symptoms experienced when people with a drug addiction stop taking the drug

32
Q

psychomotor activation

A

at certain consumption levels, the drugs make the user feel energetic and in control

33
Q

the wanting-and-liking theory (Robinson and Berridge (2008))

A

based on the idea that wanting and liking are produced by different brain systems
- ‘wanting’ is the craving for the drug, and ‘liking’ is the pleasure produced by the drug
- with repeated use, a tolerance for liking and a sensitivity for wanting develop, so the expression of pleasure decreases while craving increases

34
Q

hormones

A

chemical messengers
- produced by glands and then absorbed into the bloodstream and distributed throughout the body

35
Q

endocrine system

A

the network of glands and organs in which hormones are active

36
Q

steroid hormones

A

such as testosterone and cortisol, are made from cholesterol in glands and are fat soluble
- can directly influence gene transcription (DNA)

37
Q

peptide hormones

A

such as insulin and endorphin, are made by cellular DNA in the same way as other proteins
- indirectly influence gene transcription by binding to a metabotropic receptor on the cellular membrane and activating a second messenger

38
Q

3 main functional groups of hormones

A
  • homeostatic hormones
  • gonadal (sex) hormones
  • glucocorticoids (stress hormones)
39
Q

homeostatic hormones

A

hormones that try to maintain a state of internal metabolic balance, just like a thermostat in a living room
- e.g. insuling maintaining a constant level of glucose in the blood

40
Q

gonadal (sex) hormones

A

hormones that control reproductive functions and stimulate the body to develop either as male (testosterone) or female (estrogen)
- gonadal hormones also influence sexual behavior and conception
- some gonadal hormones regulate the menstrual cycle (oestrogen and progesterone), the pregnancy process, and breastfeeding (prolactin, oxytocin)

41
Q

glucocorticoids (stress hormones)

A

steroid hormones that are released in times of stress and help the body prepare to fight or flee
- e.g. cortisol

42
Q

2 pathways of the adrenal gland

A
  • fast pathway
  • slow pathway
43
Q

fast pathway of the adrenal gland

A
  • activates in seconds
  • hypothalamus sends a neural message through the spinal cord
  • sympathetic division (fight or flight) of the ANS is activated and stimulates the medulla of the adrenal gland
  • parasympathetic division is switched off
  • adrenal medulla releases epinephrine (adrenaline) into the bloodstream
  • epinephrine activates the body cells, endocrine glands, and the brain
44
Q

slow pathway of the adrenal gland

A
  • activated in minutes to hours
  • hypothalamus releases the hormone CRH (corticotropin-releasing hormone) into the pituitary gland
  • pituitary gland releases the hormone ACTH into the bloodstream, which acts on the cortex of the adrenal gland
  • adrenal cortex releases the glucocorticoid hormone cortisol into the bloodstream and the cortisol activates body cells, endocrine glands, and the brain

Brain and Behavior (14 decks)

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