Exam 2 Flashcards
pharmacokinetics
how drugs enter, circulate, and exit our bodies
pharmacodynamics
physiological and biochemical effects of drugs and the mechanisms of action
what does BAC measure
miligrams of alcohol/100 ml of blood
how much does one drink increase one’s BAC
.03%
who prefers beer
young males
who prefers wine
women, younger people, more educated
who prefers liquor
males, heavier drinkers, less educated, middle-aged to older
other things affecting driving ability
past drinking experience, last meal, comorbid usage
BAC of .10 indicates what
one tenth of 1% of blood is ethanol
what differs b/w male and female drinkers that affects concentration of ethanol in blood
body fat
ascending limb of BAC curve
end of drinking until peak intoxication
descending limb of BAC curve
end of drinking to sobriety
objective bac level
scientific measurement of bac
subjective bac level
what someone thinks their bac is
explain trends in objective/subjective bac levels
At point A, subjective is usually higher than objective (people are having fun, feeding off environment). At point B objective is usually higher than subjective. (this explains why people will drive).
enzyme in liver that metabolizes alcohol
ADH (alcohol dehydrogenase)
what does alcohol get metabolized into in the liver
acetaldehyde
brain lacks what enzyme
ADH
What enzymes are found in the brain that make up for the lack of ADH
cytochrome P450 and catalase
negative side-effects of acetaldehyde
toxic
damage tissue
creates ROS (reactive oxygen species)
alter the redox state
final enzyme that breaks apart acetaldehyde
ALDH2 (aldehyde dehydrogenase)
what does acetaldehyde get broken into?
water and acetate
ways of drug loss during ingestion
respiration, perspiration, urination
what ways do drugs reach one’s brain the quickest
inhalation, injection, and absorption
reasons why inhalation, injection, absorption are more effective
not broken down by liver, and avoids stomach acid
how do breathalizers work?
- ingest alcohol
- alcohol absorbed through intestines
- oxygenated blood carries alcohol
- blood passes through alveoli and breathed out
explain body fat/muscle
body fat contains less water than muscle. therefore someone with higher fat concentration has a higher ethanol concentration than someone with higher muscle concentration
why can’t you measure THC intoxication
THC is stored in fat, not blood stream. so,, how could one measure it?
cerebellum contains what percentage of neurons in brain
70%
What does cerebellum do?
regulate movement such as; posture, head/eye movement
what brain area first affected when drinking
cerebellum
addictive drugs release what? in where?
dopamine in the nucleus accumbens
where do dopamine neurons originate?
VTA (ventral tegmental area)
nucleus accumbens is important in what?
reward pathway
Incentive-sensitization model
a model of addiction holds that the absence of a drug like alcohol after prolonged use heightens its incentive salience
Alcohol increases GABA release and inhibits release of __________ according to the lecture slides.
Glutamate
The ______________ hypothesis regards alcohol as impairing both hemispheres of the brain more or less equally with all functions disrupted by alcohol to the same extent.
generalized/diffuse
ALDH2*2 reduces or eliminates _________ function?
ALDH
random assignment instead of self-assignment avoids what type of biases?
self-selection biases
Researchers used the balanced placebo design to try to separate the pharmacological and psychological influences on sexual arousal. The results of alcohol expectancy differ for males (Wilson & Lawson, 1976; George & Marlatt, 1986) vs. females (Wilson & Lawson, 1978), such that males expecting alcohol showed ____________ penile tumescence and subjective arousal, and female expectancy ________________ vaginal arousal.
greater; did not affect
The __________ model is a general model of addictive behaviors and is not limited to drugs which focuses on the affective reactions to strong stimuli.
opponent-process
symptoms of wernicke-korsakoff syndrome
amnesia, confabulation, ataxia
cerebellum is important for…
motor coordination and balance
two neuroadaptational models
opponent-process
and
incentive-sensitizatioin
nicotine activates ______ receptors
cholinergic
alcohol myopia
alcohol’s effect to narrow the focus of attention
Which brain area in the limbic system plays a key role in hunger, thirst, pain, and sexual activity?
hypothalamus
Which brain area in the limbic system plays a key role in hunger, thirst, pain, and sexual activity?
right hemisphere
What research design is used to assess the role of expectancy in the effects of consuming alcohol?
balanced placebo design
What study found several candidate genes, including GABA, that may contribute to the development of alcohol and/or nicotine dependence?
COGA (collaborative studies on genetics of alcoholism)
Association studies use ____________ to test whether having a certain allele increases the risk of having a disorder
groups of unrelated individuals
In a normal brain neurons line up __________, while in an alcohol-exposed brain neurons line up ___________.
vertically; randomly
Alcohol increases the chloride ion entry into neurons through the actions of ____________.
GABA
Linkage studies use ____________ who have a disorder to find chromosomal regions that are co-inherited with the disorder.
large families with multiple individuals
agonist function
facilitate neurotransmitter action
antagonist function
reduce neurotransmitter action
breakdown of ethanol
ethanol broken down by ADH (alcohol dehydrogenase) into Acetaldehyde. Acealdehyde broken down into Water and Acetate by ALDH (acetaldehyde dehydrogenase).
Brain lacks ADH so Cytochrome P450 and catalase takes ADHs place.
what does alcohol do to GABA and glutamate
increase GABA release
decrease glutamate release
GABA
inhibitory neurotransmitter
glutamate
excitatory neurotransmitter
alcohol poisoning
respiratory depression
cocaine is a dopamine agonist. this means what….
cocaine blocks dopamine reuptake resulting in more dopamine in the synapse
alcohol decreases neural funciton by doing what to neurotransmitters…
GABA is increased
glutamate is decreased
FAS key notes
alcohol effects glial cells which help migrate neurons
convergent evidence
sum of many studies
