Effects of recreational drugs Flashcards
Define a recreational drug
A drug that hasn’t been medically perscribed and has been consumed for the sole purpose of enjoyment.
Define an agonist drug
attach to receptors and mimic the effect of a neurotransmitter
Define an antagonist drug
Block receptors so that neurotrasmitters cant fit into them
What is an example of 3 recreational drugs
Cocaine
Heroin
Ecstasy
Cocaine:
What effect does cocaine have on the CNS
A stimulant effect, especially on the brain’s main reward system.
Cocaine:
how does this drug acheive it’s effect
altering synaptic transmission involving several neurotransmitters (noradrenaline, serotonin and acetycholine).
Cocaine:
How does cocaine increase dopamine levels
blocks reuptake of dopamine by binding to dopamine transport molecules in the presynaptic neuron
- free dopamine is forced to bind to postsynaptic receptor
Cocaine:
What happens to dopamine receptors after repeated use
Receptors become downregulated
Cocaine:
If a receptor is ‘downregulated’ what does that mean?
receptors are…
- damaged
- not working
- quantity of dopamine produced while sober decreases
Heroin:
What effetc does heroin have on the CNS
depressant effect, slows CNS activity including activity of neurons involved in pain.
Heroin:
What receptor does heroin bind to in the synapse?
mu (opioid) receptor found in cerebral cortex, limbic system and hypothalamus.
Heroin:
What’s the mode of action of Heroin
Agonist, mimics the effect of another natural biochemical
Heroin:
What are the long term effects of heroin use
Downregulation of opioid receptors on postsynaptic neuron
Ecstacy:
What effect does ecstacy have on the CNS
Stimulant, block reuptake of serotonin at the synapse, but also significantly increases output of serotonin
Strength of research evidence:
What is a strength of research evidence
Research evidence supporting the role of dopamine in non-human animals
Strength of research evidence:
What procedure of the research evidence supports this
deliberately damaging mesocorticolimbic pathway in mice brain
- neurons unable to produce levels of dopamine normally associated with reward
Strength of research evidence:
What were the results of the study on damaging mesocorticolimbic pathway in mice brain
mice failed to self-administer cocaine into their veins.
- showed cocaine’s effects were due to activity of dopamine in brain’s reward system
Weakness of validity:
What is a weakness of the validity of this area
Most studies use non-human animals to study drug effect on CNS transmission.
Weakness of validity:
Why is using non-human animals a weakness
Although there’s similarities between the CNS, the human brain is more complex
- isolating the effects of one neurotransmitter greatly oversimplifies the process
Weakness of validity:
What does this mean
Generalising from animals to humans should be done with causion
