Drugs of Substance Abuse (Pharm) - Block 3 Flashcards
What drug is the costliest of all SUDs?
Alcohol
SUDs with the highest mortality rate?
Smoking (Nicotine)
SUDs where its dependency is rapidly growing?
Opioid
What are the psychoactive drugs that change conscious awareness and perception?
Depression: slow down the NS
Stimulants: speed up the NS
Narcotics: relieve pain
Hallucinogens: alter sensory perception
What is drug abuse?
Maladaptive pattern where there are repeated adverse consequences related to continual ue of the substance
What is addication?
Primary, chronic, neurobiological dx (substance use disorder)
What is tolerance?
When the body’s exposure to a drug causes changes (lessening of effect over time)
What is the diference between dependence and SUD?
Dependence: physical, will occur with chronic exposure
SUD: psychological, occurs in small percentage of population
What is tolerance?
With repetitive exposure dose has to be increased to maintian reward or analgesic
Drugs of abuse induce strong feelings of ____?
Euphoria and reward
What is metabolic tolerance?
Induction of enzymes that metabolizes the drug -> increased rate and lower AUC (barbiturates and ethanol)
What is functional tolerance?
Adaptive changes in brain and neurons to offset chronic effects of drug administration (altered levels of neurotransmitters, altered receptors, or regulation of expression of various genes)
What is cross-tolerance?
Two drugs produce similar pharm effects by similar mechanisms, tolerace developed to one can be conferred to the other (even if the subject has not been exposed to the second drug)
What is withdrawal?
When abused drug is no longer available: Sx of dependence is relieved by another dose of the drug (pattern of negative reinforcemnt)
Because of SUD, even after withdrawal and prolonged drug-free periods, pateints are at ___?
High risk of relapse
How does SUD develop?
Triggered by re-exposure to drug -> when paired with drug use (may undergo switch and motivate SUD-related behavior) -> Pharm stimulation of mesolimbic dopamine system -> strong larning signal
How does environment and genetics trigger SUD?
- Impulsivity or excessive anxiety
- Childhood trauma and early drug use
- Neurobiological basis of SUD can be inheritied
What are the SUD behaviors?
Includes ≥ 1 of the 5 Cs:
1. Chronicity
2. Imparied control over substance use
3. Compulsive use
4. Continued use despite harm
5. Craving
What is the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for SUD?
≥2 of the following, within a 1-year period:
1. Substance taken in large amounts
2. Persistant desire and lack of control
3. Cravings
4. Significant time spent from substance use
5. Recurrent use leads to failure in obligations
6. Social problems fro use
7. Decreased involvement in important activites
8. Continued use leads to physical harm
9. Use continued despite having recurrent/persistent physical/psychological problem due to substance
Tolerance and withdrawal
What is the clinical course of SUD?
What is the mechanism of drug abue?
Mesolimbic dopamine system = main target of all addictive drugs (reward circuit: motivational system that regulats responses to natural reinorces)
Originates in ventral tegmental area (VTA): dapamine producing neurons fire bursts -> release large quantities of dopamine in nucleus accumbens (NAc) and prefrontal cortex
Phasic dopamine release may be what?
Prediction error of reward
Dopamine neurons in VTA are most efficiently activated by?
Non-anticipated reward
People with drug abuse develop?
A strong but inappropriate learning signal that hijack the reward system and lead to pathologic reinforcement -> increase dopamine even when reward is exected -> overridingof prediction error signal may be responsible for usuring of memory processes
Types of drug abuse are based on what binding mechanisms?
- Gio protein-coupled receptors: nhibit neurons through postsynaptic hyperpolarization and presynaptic regulation of transmitter release
- Ionotropic receptors or ion channels
- Dopamine transporter
What are the cellular mechanisms that increase dopamine?
- Direct stimulation of dopamine neurons
- Interferene with reuptake of dopamine or promotion of nonvesicular release
- Inhibit GABA neurons that act as local inhibitory interneurons (indirect method)
Neuroadaptation/Neuroplasticity mechanism?
What is neuroplasticity?
Induction of transcription factor ΔFosB:
1. Alters gene expression to strengthen pathways that link memories of drug taking with reward -> heightened memories of past drug experiences
2. Induces increased dendritic spines -> increases connections and amplifies signals between cells
3. During protracted abstinence to drugs, contributes to sensitized response to drug re-exposure
What contributes to drug sensititvity and memory of drug use?
Nucleus accumbens neurons increases the risk of relapse due to ΔFosB
What is Synaptic Plasticity?
Long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD) = forms of experience-dependent synaptic plasticity:
1. Induced by activating glutamate receptors (NMDA type)
2. Enhances synaptic efficacy and triggers formation of new connections
3. If presynaptic and postsynaptic not correlated well -> LTD
4. Modulated by dopamine
What is the difference between D1R and D2R expressing cells?
D1R-expressing cells – dopamine presence favors LTP
D2R-expressing cells – dopamine presence -> inhibits LTP
What causes drug-evoked synaptic plasticity?
Drugs of abuse interfere with LTP and LTD at sites of convergence of dopamine and glutamate projections