Effect of recreational drugs (3) Flashcards
What are the Short Term Effects of Cocaine on Behaviour?
Highly addictive.
Short Term: Cocaine usually makes the user feel euphoric, energetic, talkative, and mentally alert. It’s can also temporarily decrease the need for food and sleep.
What are the Individual Differences regarding the effect of recreational drugs on the transmission process in the CNS?
Neurotransmitters: people may have unusually high or low levels of certain neurotransmitters, which may predispose them to set a mental disorders. (Medication can be given to correct these levels)
Recreational Drugs: they are known to have different effects on different people. This may be due to biological differences in their brain structure and function
What is Alcohol’s ‘mode of action’?
Has a depressant effect on the CNS, by inhibiting messages in the neurones and synapses.
It does this by increasing GABA (an inhibitory neurotransmitter).
What is the short term Effect of Alcohol on Behaviour?
Short-Term: Varies depending on the individual, the mood and their environment. It can reduce anxiety and inhibition, or make an individual more aggressive.
What are the Long Term Effects of Cocaine on Behaviour?
Long Term: Addiction, irritability and mood disturbances, restlessness, paranoia and auditory hallucinations.
What is Cocaine’s ‘mode of action’?
Cocaine acts on the dopamine reward pathways in the brain.
It blocks the reuptake process so that dopamine levels increase and the ‘message’ continues for longer
What are the short term effects of Nicotine on Behaviour?
Short Term: Feelings of pleasure, a ‘kick’, feeling relaxed
What are the long term effects of Nicotine on Behaviour?
Long Term: Cravings, irritability from withdrawal, cancer and heart disease
What is Nicotine’s ‘mode of action’?
Works on dopamine reward pathways in the brain.
It increases the amount of transmission of dopamine by blocking the enzyme that breaks it down
What are the short term effects of Ecstasy on Behaviour?
Short Term: Feelings of mental stimulation, emotional warmth, empathy towards others, a general sense of well-being and decreased anxiety
What are the long term effects of Ecstasy on Behaviour?
Long Term: Anxiety, restlessness, irritability, sadness, impulsiveness, aggression, sleep disturbances, lack of appetite, depression
What is Ecstasy’s ‘mode of action’?
Ecstasy increases levels of dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine (especially serotonin)
What is the long term Effect of Alcohol on Behaviour?
Long Term: It can be addictive, lead to liver failure and damage to the brain & nervous system
