Drugs and addiction

Question 1

What types of drugs are there? 4

Answer 1

Stimulants (caffeine)
Sedatives and hypnotics (alcohol)
Opiates and opioid (morphine)
Hallucinogenics (LSD)

Question 2

How is it decided how harmful drugs are?

Answer 2

Physical harm and dependence

Question 3

What substances are most addicting after single use? (3)

Answer 3

Nicotine – heroin – cocaine

Question 4

When are you addicted?

Answer 4

• Not being able to stop
• Cravings
• Develop tolerance
• Develop withdrawal symptoms
• Not managing your life
  etc.

Question 5

Why do people use drugs?

Answer 5

Drugs stimulate brain mechanisms that are responsible for positive reinforcement

Question 6

What is part of the dopaminergic system? (2)

Answer 6

VTA = Ventral Tegmental Area
NAc = Nucleus Accumbens

Question 7

What is intracranial self-stimulation with a rat with dopamine? Example

Answer 7

Electronics stimulate brain area and dopamine is released when rat presses lever. Rat keeps pressing lever.

Question 8

What is a reward experiment with male rat? Example

Answer 8

Dopamine level increases in rat when it sees a female. Also before, because it knows there will be a female

Question 9

Does only dopamine give the effect?

Answer 9

Not just dopamine.
Dopamine is necessary, but not sufficient for reinforcement to take place

Question 10

What effect does Beta-endorphin give? (3)

Answer 10

Euphoria
Reduce pain
Runner’s high

Question 11

Which area’s are most involved in reward system in the brain? (2)

Answer 11

VTA and NAc

Question 12

How do Dopamine and endorphin system work together? alcohol example (4)

Answer 12

1 Gaba reduces activity of dopamine:
2 Alcohol causes Beta-endorphins get released
3 Beta-endorphins inhibit GABA
4 More dopamine is released

Question 13

What kind of effect can drugs have, and which is the most addictive? (2)

Answer 13

Direct and indirect effect
-Drugs with Direct effect are most addictive

Question 14

How do drugs cause epigenetic changes?

Answer 14

Transcription of genes is being changed
->Genes being silenced or activated

Question 15

What is Negative reinforcement?

Answer 15

Negative behaviour causes an aversive stimulus to be reinforced:
- Withdrawal symptoms
- Negative feelings

Question 16

What are withdrawal symptoms also called?

Answer 16

Compensation reactions

Question 17

Classical conditioning example dog

Answer 17

Sound + food for dog —> results in dog producing saliva when hearing the sound

Question 18

Classical conditioning example Insulin

Answer 18

Insulin —> decrease blood sugar level —> produce glucagon to normalize blood suger level
Then use placebo injection instead of insulin —> body produces glucogon even though there is no insulin injected

Question 19

Why is there more chance of taking an overdose in an unfamiliar environment?

Answer 19

Body does not anticipate what is coming, in a familiar environment is does anticipate

Question 20

What can long-term drug use cause? (4)

Answer 20

• Changes in brain
• Stress
• Cravings
• Relapse

Question 21

What are some possible therapies? (3)

Answer 21

Nalexone/naltrexone = block effect of beta-endorphins
Methadone = for heroin addicition
Nicotine gum/plasters = for smoking addiction

Question 22

What does getting addicted depend on? (2)

Answer 22

Environment
Heredity

Question 23

What is on list 1 and list 2 of opium wet?

Answer 23

List 1: hard drugs
List 2: soft drugs