drug addiction Flashcards
what is addiction
a psychic and sometimes physical state- tolerance may or may not be present
tolerance def
the more you take it the less sensitive you become to it.
you need more to elicit the same effects
- alcohol
- heroin
withdrawal def
negative physical symptoms after the use of a drug
sensitization def
the opposite of tolerance.
you need less each time to elicit an effect
- cocaine
- amphetamine
due to winding of the neural systems.
-> leads to psychosis.
-> get sensitised to the pleasurable effects so you want to take more and more.
drug administration
ingestion, injection (bypasses the digestive tract) - Subcutaneously SC- under the skin - IM intramuscularly - IV inhalation Absorbtion through mucous membranes
behavioural aspects of addiction- conditioned place preference
if a rat repeatedly receives a drug in a distinct environment it will spend most of its time there.
intra- cranial self stimulation in rats
self stimulation either into an area of its brain or in general circulation
- parts of the brain in pleasure and reward
self administration paradigm
- cocaine
- amphetamine
- nicotine and canabis (training)
why do we take them
drugs high jack brains reward system - the dopamine system.
Dopamine is activated by most drugs of abuse,- rewards.
the dopaminergic system
substantia nigra, striatum- nucleus acumbuns, basal ganglia, limbic system, ventral tegmental area.
cocaine and amphetamine act on
dopamine- by blocking the reuptake transporter.
caffeine
acts on adensaine
cannabis
dopamine.
alcohol
in small doses increases dopamine
but in large doses decreases dopamine.
acts on GABA- potentiates its action.
nicotine
acetylcholine agonists - cholinergic PPN and brain. Attention.
releases dopamine by binding to receptors.
