Cocaine Systems Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
1
Q

Describe prosecutions

A

Equivalent sentence for powdered cocaine required possession of 1 kg of drug

  • Many speculate this disparity contributed to racial bias in drug prosecutions
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Describe perceptions of pCE

A
  • Crack cocaine can be explicitly tested by the presence of methylecgonidine
  • From 1980-89 studies showing effects of cocaine on fetal development has a 57% publication rate while
    those showing lack of effects had an 11% publication rate (Society for Pediatric Research)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Describe effects of PCE

A
  • Studies support moderate decreases in learning in the presence of distractions
  • Prenatal nutrition, pre- and post-natal care, additional drug use (alcohol/tobacco), environmental
    risks, increased rates of STI (incl. HIV and hepatitis)
  • Small increased risk of ADHD or increased impulsivity/distractibility
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Describe how cocaine is sympathomimetic

A
  • Cocaine elevates NE signalling at noradrenergic
    locations
  • Cocaine exerts activating effects on the
    sympathetic nervous system
  • Many adverse effects of cocaine are due to
    sympathetic activation (stroke, heart failure,
    seizure, intracranial hemorrhage)
  • Central noradrenergic effects contribute to the
    psychostimulant effects of cocaine
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Describe dopaminergic effects of cocaine

A
  • Two key pathways:
  • Nigrostriatal– substantia nigra to the
    striatum
  • Mesolimbic– ventral tegmentum to
    nucleus accumbens
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What effect does it have on the nigrostriatal pathway?

A

Microinjection of cocaine into striatum
elicits stereotyped behaviours

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Describe the effect it has on the mesolimbic pathway

A
  • elicits
    hyperactivity
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Describe basal ganglia

A

Activation of nigrostriatal dopamine
pathways promotes the direct pathway
(D1 – excitatory) over the indirect
pathway (D2 – inhibitory).

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Describe cocaine psychosis

A
  • Characterized by transient paranoid psychosis with delusions and
    hallucinations
  • Common feature of chronic high-dose cocaine abuse (binge use)
  • Restricted to periods of drug use
  • Occurs more frequently over time
  • Result of sensitization to drug (increased effect over subsequent doses)
  • Similar to psychosis in Schizophrenia
  • Sensitive to antipsychotics – mesolimbic DA
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Describe acute cocaine tolerance

A
  • TH regulates overall rate of catecholamine
    synthesis
  • Phosphorylation
  • Activity-dependent activation (CaM-kinase
    phosphorylation)
  • Modulatory activation (such as PKC signalling)
  • Acute tolerance results in large part from
    inhibition of dopamine biosynthesis
  • Presynaptic autoreceptors respond to prolonged
    DA in the synapse to inhibit TH
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Describe adverse effects of cocaine use

A
  • Chronic, heavy cocaine use is associated with a mild cognitive impairment
  • Verbal memory, attention, and motor function
  • Correlated with gray and white matter abnormalities in the cortex and striatum
  • Cardiotoxic effects of chronic use
  • Arrhythmia, cardiac myopathy, myocardial infarct
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Describe cocaine addiction treatment

A
  • D1- and D2-family receptor
    antagonists can reduce reinforcing
    effects of cocaine
  • Specific D3 antagonists (SB-277011-
    A) or partial agonists (BP897)
    decrease SA or CPP
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Describe human trials

A
  • Administration of ecopipam, a D1-
    family antagonist, in cocaine users has
    had mixed results
  • Reported to reduce high in IV trials
  • Reported to increase high in freebase
    smoking trial
  • Trials of selective DAT inhibitors or D1
    agonists as replacement therapeutics
    have been limited by decreased seizure
    thresholds
  • Some studies have used disulfuram to
    treat cocaine abuse due to the high
    coincident use of alcohol and cocaine
  • Disulfuram is a common treatment for
    alcohol abuse – it inhibits aldehyde
    dehydrogenase and causes an acute
    aversive reaction
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly