DRUG DEPENDENCE: Neurobiology of addiction Flashcards
What are the two main molecular targets for ethanol? [2]
GABAA and NMDA receptors
What are the three main molecular targets for cocaine? [3]
DA, NAd (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) and 5-HT uptake systems
What are the three main factors that determine the development of addiction? [3]
Environment
Drug-induced effects
Genes
Name 3 selected genes involved in the vulnerability to develop opiate or cocaine addiction [3]
OPRM: Mu opoid receptor
OPRK: kappa opoid receptor
OPRD: delta opoid receptor
Probably don’t need to know in loads of detail
Describe the results of of this experiment; where participants were given raclopride (a tracer) that binds to dopamine receptors.
When givien ampethamines what was the physioloigcal response for:
- those who experienced pleasure? [1]
- those who experienced unpleasantness? [1]
Pleasure: ligand was displaced more: greater release of endogenous dopamine
Unpleasant: ligand stay attached more: less release of endogenous dopamine
Describe the mesolimbic pathway that controls reward circuits in the brain [2]
Which NT controls this pathway? [1]
dopaminergic projection from the ventral tegmental area
to the nucleus accumbens is essential in reward and drug dependence
Describe the neurobiological mechansim underlying withdrawal [3]
If take drug (e.g. morphine) causes a release of dopamine from dopaminergic neuron from the VTA
Synapses onto nucleus accumbens
But nucleus accumbens has inhibitory synapses back onto VTA through release of GABA and dynorphin on kappa opoid receptors
Causes feelings of dysphoria due to reduced dopamine release
What are the three stages of addiction? [3]
Binge / intoxication
Withdrawal / negative affect
Pre-occupation
Describe the neuroplasticity of the brain during drug-seeking behaviour [6]
Brain connectivity changes occur during the development of
addiction; there is gradual involvement of many CNS structures
and several neurotransmitter systems:
- ventral tegmental area
- nucleus accumbens
- amygdala
- insula
- prefrontal cortex
- hippocampus
Other than dopamine, which NTs become implicated in drug addiction / drug tking behaviour? [2]
gaba; glutamate
State two changes to brain metabolism in cocaine addicts [2]
Reduced availability of dopamine D2 receptors
Reduced cortical metabolism in cocaine abusers
If an addict had an impaired ability to perform the following, which part of their brain is most likely to be affected? [1]
Attention and flexibility
Working memory
Decision making
Awareness and insight
Learning and memory
Salience attribution
prefrontal cortex
What is iRISA syndrome [1]?
Which 4 symptoms is addiction underpinned by? [4]
There is impaired response inhibition and salience attribution (iRISA)
Addiction is underpinned by
* intoxication
* bingeing
* withdrawal
* craving
Explain an example of how chronic drug abuse can alter gene expression and therefore change brain structure [1
Chronic drug use causes an increase in the expression of expression of ΔFosB gene
Fos family of transcription factors, accumulates within a subset of neurons of the nucleus accumbens and dorsal striatum
FosB functions as a type of sustained “molecular switch” that gradually converts acute drug responses into relatively stable adaptations that contribute to the long-term neural and behavioral plasticity that underlies addiction.
State the impact of spine density and dendrite branching due to cocaine [1] and morphine [1] abuse
Cocaine: increases spine density and dendrite branching
Morphine: Decreases spine density and dendrite branching