Exam 1 (Introduction, Neurobiology of Drug Effects, Neurobiology of Addiction) Flashcards
Exam 1
What is an example of a non-psychoactive drug?
Over the counter medications (i.e., birth control, ibuprofen, aspirin)
What is involved in the sympathetic nervous system
Activation and arousal
The immediate effect of a neurotransmitter being received at it’s receptor site is:
Change in permeability of the ion channels
Who has the highest Cannabis use rate worldwide
Canada (North America)
Explain the role of the liver in drug metabolism
To produce enzymes making drugs more lipid soluble and more excretable
What does the myelin sheath do
Covers the axon
Explain the 3 levels of Substance Use Disorder in the DSM-5
Mild, Moderate, Severe
What is the difference between the DSM and the DSM-5
DSM: Substance Abuse Disorder
DSM 5: Substance Use Disorder
Define a drug
Recurrent use of any drug that causes significant harm
Describe the contributing factors to developing a drug addiction
- Genetic propensity
- Environmental factors
- Rewarding properties
- Recurrent use of the drug
Why are drugs like nicotine and cocaine taken through nose and mouth membranes instead of orally?
Basic drugs accept H+ in the stomach and become ionized making them less lipid soluble and less absorbable
Name all the ways you can administer a drug
- Injection (Intravenous, Intramuscular, subcutaneous)
- Nose and Mouth membranes
- Lungs
- Suppositories
- Patch (Fentanyl patch)
- Orally
How do Vitamins and Minerals get absorbed into the body?
Via Active Transport
How heritable is addiction?
~50%
True or False: Can direct inheritance and indirect inheritance contribute to the risk of developing addiction?
True
Nicotines half-life is 1.5.How long would it take for that drug to fully be excreted?
3 hours
(Multiply end of the half-life by 2)
Developing a tolerance to alcohol means you developed a tolerance for:
Benzodiazepines
Lithium can imitate which chemical?
K+ (Potassium)
Which part of the brain do animals not share with humans?
Cerebellum
How do placebos work?
- Positive feelings enhance immune system and promote endorphin release
- Both clinicians and patients are oversensitive to the positive signs
- Natural recovery
Which drugs will animals not voluntarily consume?
Psychedelics, Cannabis, Caffeine
When will animals actively work to obtain a drug?
In captivity
Name an 3 examples of an animal using a drug
Elephants and alcohol
Donkeys grazing on tobacco
Cats and catnip
Name items with the lowest pH and the highest pH
Lowest pH: Lemon Juice
Highest pH: Household bleach
What is the role of the blood brain barrier?
To block the entrance of foreign substances
Why is the fetal nervous system easily damaged when the mother uses drugs?
They have an underdeveloped nervous system and slower drug excretion
What is the difference between Opioids and Opiates
Only 3 opiates - Codeine, Morphine, and Thebine
Opioids are synthetically made (i.e., heroin, fentanyl)
Which region has the highest opioid use?
North America
Where has the highest opiate use?
Russia
Neurotransmitters are to the brain as ______ are to the body
hormones
True or False: The environment you are in when you take a drug plays a huge role in drug overdose cases.
True
List the 4 most common psychoactive drugs used worldwide:
- Caffeine
- Alcohol
- Tobacco
- Cannabis
What is the difference between and agonist and an antagonist?
Antagonist: Inhibitory
Agonist: Excitatory
True or False: Men use antidepressants more than women.
False
True or False: The Caudate Nucleus is part of the reward system of the brain.
False
What are the components of the reward system of the brain?
- Reward Pathway
- Nucleus Accumbens
- Ventral Tegmental Area
When would you use a suppository on a patient?
When a pill is unable to be taken orally
Which of the following is a neurotransmitter?:
A. Testosterone
B. Estrogen
C. Salicylic Acid
D. Methylphenidate
E. Epinephrine
E: Epinephrine
What is an example of a good placebo?
An expensive, bad tasting, red pill
True or False: ‘White Matter’ in the brain is composed of axons.
True
How would gases such as nitrous oxide enter the body?
Very small
Name the 3 ways drugs are transported into the body:
- Very small
- Lipid-soluble
- Active transport
Alcoholism is report in which histories?
Greek, Roman, Indian, Japanese, and Chinese
What ages is drug use the most prevalent and why?
15-25
Because of curiosity and experimentation
What age group is some of the heaviest drug users?
18-25
List the correlates of drug use
- Race/ Ethnicity
- Socioeconomic class
- Personality
- Gender
- Psychopathology
What are the exceptions to ‘Placebos’
Opium, Alcohol, Cannabis, Willowbark
There was a ____ in psychotropic drug use in the past 20 years
Increase
What are the composites of a neuron
Cell body, Dendrites, axons, and terminal endings
Explain how neurons communicate with each other
The neurons communicate through electrochemical transmission
What are the 4 main ions?
- A-
- K+
- Cl-
- Na+
What is it called when the axon emerges from the cell body?
Axon Hillock
When the neurotransmitter is released, it is either taken back up into the synaptic knob by ___ or ___
- Reuptake
- Deactivated
Name 3 ways psychoactive drugs alter the synaptic transmission
- Storage of neurotransmitters
- Activation of receptor
- Receptor binding
What is the equation for the Therapeutic Index
(TI) = TD50/ ED50
Explain the computer analogy in correlation to the brain
Mind: Software
Brain: Hardware
Without the hardware the software is useless. The hardware can still function without the software by turning on an off, but the software has no use unless it is connected to the hardware.
Name the pieces of evidence in the mind-brain relationship
- Stimulating electrodes
- Neuroimaging techniques
Hormones are part of the ___.
Endocrine system
Where can drugs be excreted?
Sweat, urine, feces, milk, lungs, and saliva
When the blood goes directly to the liver, it is called what?
First pass metabolism
What do the drugs do when they are still lipid soluble after being metabolized by the liver?
They continue to go back into and out the live until they become lipid insoluble (ionized) and are then excreted.
When are drugs excreted through feces?
When the drug is un-ionized and can’t be reabsorbed into the liver.
What are the filtration units in the kidneys?
Nephrons
Drugs that are acids tend to stay ____
Un-ionized, lipid-soluble, and reabsorbable
Manipulating the urine pH is useful when ____
Wanting to prolong the effect or in overdose cases
There is a rough correlation between tolerance and dependence. What are their differences?
Tolerance - Higher doses achieve the same effect
Dependence - When the drug is needed to avoid withdrawal
What is an example of cross dependence?
If you are an alcoholic and you substitute benzodiazepines to avoid withdrawal symptoms
What is sensitization?
Sensitization is a reverse tolerance, so when some people use for the first time, they have an extremely bad effect to the drug, but it gets better over time
What does increased liver enzyme action do?
Produces enzymes to deactivate the drug
When does withdrawal occur?
Withdrawal occurs when the opposing processes are still present, so the body begins to metabolize and ‘take the drug’ before it has been administered
When someone overdoses in an unusual environment for them to use, this is called what?
Classical conditioning
