Journal Article 2 Flashcards
What is the overall problem being addressed with this research?
There is evidence to suggest that dopamine transporter blockage corresponds to the reinforcing effects of the drug cocaine, but these researchers address the question of whether or not the route of administration has an effect on these reinforcing effects through DAT blockage.
What is the hypothesis?
Are reinforcing effects of cocaine through different routes of administration due to the efficacy of these routes to block DAT?
What was the basic method used?
3 different types of cocaine administration were used that included smoking, injection, and intranasal use of cocaine. DAT blockage was measured with PET to determine DAT blockage/binding after the placebo and then cocaine and calculating the difference.
What question was this designed to answer?
Whether or not the route of administration has an effect on the DAT blockage and therefore the reinforcing effects of the drug.
What was the independent variable?
the route of administration
What were the dependent variables?
the DAT blockage and the subjective effects of the drug
What were the major findings of this paper?
Cocaine doses that provide similar plasma levels of the blood also produce similar DAT blockage regardless of method of administration.
Was the hypothesis supported or refuted?
The hypothesis was not clear but was rejected. The reinforcing effects, however, were different because of the speed of entry of the drug into the system which was a way in which route of administration affected the subjective effects. However, all routes showed sufficient binding of DAT.
Why are the findings of this study important?
They show that methods like smoking and IV have higher reinforcing effects for cocaine usage and that the speed of delivery to the brain is also a very important factor when considering the subjective effects or “high” of using a drug.
What are the clinical implications of this research?
It shows why/how cocaine users have a higher liability to become addicted to IV and smoking methods since these have more intense/quicker reinforcing effects.
