Effect of recreational drugs Flashcards
What are recreational drugs?
A drug that is taken for enjoyment that alter cognitions, mood and behaviour
What is dopamine?
A neurotransmitter associated with reward
What are the two types of drugs?
- Antagonist
- Agonist
What does an antagonistic drug do?
Blocks re-uptake receptors of naturally occuring chemicals
What is cocaine?
A highly addictive antagonistic drug that makes users feel alert, energetic and euphoric
Describe the mode of action of cocaine
- Cocaine blocks re-uptake receptors during synaptic transmission so that dopamine cannot be rebasorbed
- This increases the levels of dopamine in the synaptic cleft and the dopamine receptors on the post-synaptic neuron get over-stimulated
What are the long-term effects of taking cocaine?
- Repeated use leads to dopamine receptors becoming downregulated so fewer receptors are active
- Larger doses of cocaine are needed to experience the original effects due to increased tolerance
- This explains withdrawals, cravings and depression when cocaine is no longer taken
What does an agonistic drug do?
Mimics the action of a natural neurotransmitter
What is heroin?
A highly addictive drug that makes users feel euphoric and drowsy
Describe the mode of action of heroin
- Heroin is an agonistic drug as it binds to specific opioid receptors
- Inhibitory neurones inhibit the release of dopamine and heroin decreases the activity of these neurons by binding to opioid receptors
- This reduces the amount of inhibitory neurotransmitters released which causes the increased amount of dopamine released
What are the long-term effects of taking heroin?
- Repeated use leads to downregulation of opioid receptors which desentisises the effects of heroin
- Larger doses of heroin is needed to experience the original effects due to increased tolerance
What is a strength of the effect of recreational drugs?
Olds and Milner (1954) PEECA
P - Olds and Milner (1954) research supports
E - Rats could give regions of their brains stimulation believed to contain the reward pathway via a pleasurable electric shock by pressing a lever. To get to the lever, the rats had to endure painful electric shocks and it was found that the rats endured this pain to press the lever to recieve stimulation
E - This demonstrates the idea of a reward pathway in the brain where pleasure overrides pain
CA - However, this research cannot be generalised as rats were used. Humans have more complex brains than rats so this doesn’t represent the effects of neurotransmission and behaviour of humans
What is a strength of the effect of recreational drugs?
High internal validity PEE
P - High internal validity of research
E - Research is conducted in highly controlled lab conditions
E - Therefore, researchers can establish a cause and effect relationship
What is a strength of the effect of recreational drugs?
Application PEE
P - Has applications to treatments for drug addiction
E - Drug replacement therapy can be implemented by replacing harmful drugs, such as heroin, with less harmful substances that mimic the same effects, such as methodone
E - This allows the drug user to reduce dosage and come off of their addition slowly and safely, letting receptors return to normal
What is a weakness of the effect of recreational drugs?
Jones and Stone (1990) PEE
P - Research from Jones and Stone (1990) rejects
E - They gave regular cannabis users either marijuana or a placebo and found that there was no difference as both groups experienced a ‘high’
E - This suggests that there is potentially a cognitive element to drugs and not just biological
