Drug Use, Drug Addiction and the Brain's Reward Circuits Flashcards
What are the different routes of drug administration?
Oral, injection, inhalation
What are the features of oral drug administration?
It is unpredictable, as the drug must be absorbed through the digestive tract.
What are the features and types of drug administration via injection?
Subcutaneously- under the skin
Intramuscularly- into large muscles
Intravenously- Into veins- drugs delivered directly to the brain, so the effects are felt immediately, so this method is more addictive.
What are the features of drug administration via inhalation?
The drug is absorbed through capillaries into the lungs or through mucus membranes in the nose and mouth
What is tolerance?
When you develop resistance to certain effects of a drug. therefore, we take it more and more. (i.e. building up alcohol tolerance).
What is conditioned tolerance?
Maximal tolerance effects are seen in the environment in which a drug is usually taken. Therefore, if we take the drug in a foreign, the effects will seem “stronger”. This shows that tolerance is not jiust metabolic or physical
What is Contingent drug tolerance?
Tolerance only develops to the drug effects that we have previously experienced. If we have not experienced these effects, due to the circumstances when we take this drug, we will become tolerant to other effects, but when we finally do feel this specific effect we have not felt before, it will be as strong as most people’s first time experiencing this drug.
What is withdrawal?
When you receive negative symptoms when you stop taking a drug.
Why was nicotine not recognised as addictive for a long time?
Heroin has very profound withdrawal symptoms. Nicotine withdrawal is different to this and is more subtle. Therefore, many argued it is not an addictive substance.
What is sensitisation?
Give examples of this
When a drug becomes more effective over time so, in future, the drug can produce more of an effect. This can occur with caffeine and nicotine. This can be because of changes in your brain receptors.
What are the three factors that constitutes a drug being addictive?
Tolerance, sensitisation and withdrawal (these do not ALL have to be present)
What neurotransmitter is always affected by ADDICTIVE drugs?
dopamine
