Cocaine and Amphetamines

Question 1

What are psychostimulants

Answer 1

Increase Vigilance, alertness, and mood
Heighten Mood
Reduce need for sleep

Question 2

What are common psychostimulants

Answer 2

cocaine, caffeine, amphetamines, nicotine

Question 3

what are sympathomimetics

Answer 3

increases the activity of the sympathetic nervous system

Question 4

what is the difference between amphetamine and methamphetamine

Answer 4

structurally analogous but methyl group in methamphetamine makes it more lipid soluble (more potent)

Question 5

what is the medical uses of amphetamines

Answer 5

Antidepressant
Asthma
Narcolepsy
ADHD
Appetite suppressant

Question 6

what are the routes of administration of amphetamines from slowest to fastest

Answer 6

oral, I.V, inhalation

Question 7

what are the psychological effects of amphetamines in low doses

Answer 7

elevates mood
increases alertness, decreases fatigue
increases focus and attention
subjects report feeling “a desire to get to work and accomplish things”

Question 8

how long do the effects of amphetamines last

Answer 8

3-6 hours

Question 9

what are the psychological effects of amphetamines at high doses

Answer 9

dysphoria
social withdrawal
depression
irritability, anxiety
aggression
hallucinations
paranoid psychosis
stereotypy

Question 10

what are the physiological effects of amphetamines at low doses

Answer 10

loss of appetite
dilated pupils
rapid breathing, increases heart rate
increased BP
arrhythmias
facilitates athletic activities requiring a burst of energy i.e sprinting

Question 11

what are the physiological effects of amphetamines at high doses

Answer 11

fever
sweating
headaches
blurred vision
dizziness
coma
circulatory effects

Question 12

what is the toxicity of amphetamines

Answer 12

direct lethal effects are unusual but when they occur are caused by stroke or internal bleeding (elevated BP)

Question 13

what are the withdrawal symptoms of amphetamines

Answer 13

exhaustion, depression, lethargy, hunger

Question 14

what are the routes of administration of cocaine from slowest to fastest

Answer 14

oral
mucous membrane
intravenous
inhalation

Question 15

why is the route of administration important

Answer 15

faster the absorption means the more intense the high; faster the absorption means the more addiction potential

Question 16

what are the psychological effects of cocaine in low doses

Answer 16

similar to amphetamines with shorter duration
confidence, alert, energetic, outgoing, fidgety, talkative

Question 17

what are the psychological effects of cocaine in high doses

Answer 17

irritability
anxiety
psychotic behavior (rebound depression, anxiety, suicidal thought)
paranoid ideation
hallucinations
aggression

Question 18

what are the physiological effects of cocaine

Answer 18

constricts blood vessels
increases heart rate
raises blood pressure
arrhythmias
increases body temperature
headaches

Question 19

what is the toxicity of cocaine

Answer 19

loss of consciousness
seizures
damage to nasal membrane
liver damage with chronic use
respiratory arrest, cerebral hemorrhage, convulsions, arrhythmia (fatal)

Question 20

what is cocaine psychosis

Answer 20

sleeplessness, tremors, nausea, psychotic behavior

Question 21

what are the withdrawal effects of cocaine

Answer 21

increased appetite
sleepiness
depression

Question 22

what does amphetamines do in the nervous system

Answer 22

enhance catecholamine neurotransmission

Question 23

how does amphetamine effect dopamine release

Answer 23

1. Competitive inhibition of DAT
2. Phosphorylation of DAT results in internalization
3. Inhibits DA uptake by VMAT-2 and collapses vesicular pH gradients resulting in DA flowing out of the vesicle in to the cytoplasm
4. Intracellular AMPH causes reverse transport of DA by DAT
5. High AMPH conc. inhibit MAO

Question 24

what is the function of DAT

Answer 24

Dopamine reuptake and reduction in free dopamine

Question 25

what does a DAT knockout cause

Answer 25

increase in spontaneous locomotor activity and decrease locomotor response to psychostimulants

Question 26

What is characteristic of mice with a D1 receptor knockout

Answer 26

amphetamine induced conditioned place preference
cocaine induced conditioned place
preference
amphetamine self administration
cocaine self administration

Question 27

how does cocaine affect neurotransmission

Answer 27

blocks dopamine re uptake

Question 28

what is the mechanism behind tolerance of cocaine and amphetamines

Answer 28

autoreceptor activations leads to neurotransmitter depletion

Question 29

What happens when D2 autoreceptors are activated

Answer 29

1. causes inhibition of tyrosine hydroxylase which depletes neurotransmitter
2. activation of G protein subunits blocks voltage gated calcium channels and activate voltage gated potassium
3. activation of G protein subunits activates voltage gated potassium channels

Question 30

How does sensitization to cocaine happen

Answer 30

chronic use deletes dopamine which causes neurons to compensate by up-regulating receptor numbers and increasing sensitivity

Question 31

what happens after extended exposure to cocaine

Answer 31

increase in reward threshold and escalation in cocaine self administration