drugs and drug misuse Flashcards
A reduction in the potency of a drug due to learning or a change in behaviour of the user
Behavioural tolerance
A major stimulant drug know for its highly addictive qualities. It has been shown to produce its reinforcing and euphoric effects by acting on the NUCLEUS ACCUMBENS
cocaine
Cocaine affects which part of the brain?
nucleus accumbens
A reduction in the potency of a drug due to biological adaptation taking place in the body that may include pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic mechanisms
Metabolic tolerance
A large bundle of bi-directional fibres that courses through the hypothalamus and interconnects regions of the forebrain with midbrain
Medial forebrain bundle
An area of the tegmentum that receives input from the medial forebrain bundle and is the main source of dopaminergic neurons to the forebrain, believed to be particularly important for arousal and reinforcement
Ventral segmental area VTA
A catecholamine neurotransmitter predominantly found in the striatum, nucleus accumbens, and frontal cortex. It is also importantly involved in reward and reinforcement.
Dopamine
A learned response that acts to reduce a drug’s impact on the body. It is believed to be an important contributor to drug tolerance.
Conditioned compensatory response
A chemical or drug that opposes or inhibits the effects of a particular neurotransmitter on the cell - normally by competing at a receptor site.
Antagonist
The area of the brain sometimes called the ventral striatum that receives a dopaminergic projection from the ventral tegmentum, which is importantly involved in reward and feelings of pleasure.
Nucleus Accumbens
Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol is the psychoactive ingredient in what drug?
Marijuana
A set of unpleasant physiological reactions and psychological distress that are typically caused when use of a drug is abruptly terminated after a period of time
Withdrawal symptoms
A drug with similar properties to opium including morphine and heroin. The central nervous system also produces similar substances called endogenous endorphins.
Opiate
A chemical or drug that mimics or facilitates the action of a given neurotransmitter - normally by acting on its receptor
agonist
The brain contains neural symptoms that mediate responses to what?
reward and punishment
Who discovered that the brain contains neural systems that respond to reward and punishment?
1954 James Olds and his research student Peter Milner.
What is the name of the technique where the rats pressed a lever to receive brain stimulation electronically?
intracranial self-stimulation
What region of the brain leads to the greatest rates of self-stimulation?
lateral hypothalamus