Hormones and drugs effect on nervous system and behaviour

Question 1

What is the difference between agonists and antagonist drugs

Answer 1

Agonists - Substance that enhances neurotransmitter function

Antagonists - Substance that blocks neurotransmitter function

Question 2

What are the three types of tolerance and what do they mean?

Answer 2

• Metabolic tolerance - increase of enzymes in blood, brain to break down substances
• Cellular tolerance - Activities of brain cells adjust to minimize effect of the substance
• Learned tolerance - people learned to cope with being intoxicated

Question 3

What is meant by the key term ;
- Behavioural Myopia

This is under individual difference response to drugs

Answer 3

Behavioural Myopia -Under influence of alcohol , people respond to a restricted set of immediate and prominent cues and ignore more remote cures and potential consequences

Question 4

What is the Incentive sensitisation theory ?

Answer 4

Incentive sensitisation theory -Wanting(craving) and liking(pleasure) may be produced by different parts of the brain, we can crave something even if we know it will not produce pleasure

Also this links to the graph that shows that as time goes on that liking of drug decreases but wanting of a drug actually increases

Wanting - mesolimbic dopamine system
Liking - opioid neurons

Question 5

Which areas of the brain are not protected by the blood brain barrier?

Answer 5

• Pituitary gland - hormones are secreted form here and chemicals need to come in to affect some pituitary hormones
• Pineal gland - there needs to be an entry of chemicals that affect the day/night cycles
• Area postrema - chemicals enter that induce vomiting

Question 6

What is the effect of GABAergic drugs in both high and low doses

Answer 6

GABAergic agonist drugs
Low doses - reduces anxiety
High doses - Sedation, Coma, Death

Question 7

What are all the types of psychoactive drugs ?

Answer 7

• Serotonergic
• GABAergic
• Cannabinergic
• Opioidergic
• Glutatamergic
• Dopaminergic
• Cholinergic

Question 8

What is an example of a Cannabinergic and Opioidergic drug ?

Answer 8

• Cannabinergic - THC (main part of cannabis)
  Opiodergic - herion, morphine

Question 9

What is an example of something that as an Agonist and an Antagonist when talking about the neurotransmitter of Acetylcholine?

Answer 9

Agonist - Black widow spider venom promotes release
Antagonist - Butolin toxin blocks release