Lecture 1 Flashcards
Why study addiction?
- in top 3 mental disorders
- high lifetime prevalence
- number of smokers has reached peak
- high mortal rate
- almost daily in the news
Top 3 Disorders in NL
- Any mood disorder - 139.300
- Any anxiety disorder - 143.800
- Any substance use disorder - 83.000
Lifetime Prevalence of Top 3 disorders
- Mood disorder - 20.2%
- Anxiety disorder - 19.6%
- Substance disorder - 19.1%
1 out of 5 have a SUD in NL
Gender differences of SUD prevalence
- generally more men addicted then women
- except for prescription drugs
Societal relevance of substance use
- impact on Heath
- impact on crime
- impact on public safety
- impact on work related productivity
Is addiction a disease?
PRO:
- dopamine and other neurotransmitter in the mesolimbic system are disrupted
- inhibitor control system is dysfunctional
- addiction is related to cellular tolerance, changes in the receptors
CON:
- mental condition, because no changes in brain such as Alzheimer’s
- psychological treatment are effective so can’t be biological
- result of deep learning and can be unlearned
- contextual factors (e.g. soldiers in Vietnam)
- correlation no causation proof
Social and historical context of addiction
Addiction is context dependent
- culture, religion, availability etc.
- e.g. prohibition of alcohol in US in 1919
Types of substances
- tobacco
- stimulants
- depressants
- opioids
- hallucinogens
Stimulants
Def.:
Drugs that tend to increase overall levels of neuroactivity.
Most act as agonist of the dopamine neurotransmitter system.
- cocaine
- Amphetamine (incl. methamphetamine)
- XTC
- MDMA (ecstasy)
Depressants
Def.:
Drug that tends to suppress central nervous system activity.
Most act as agonist on GABA.
- alcohol
- benzodiazepines
- GHB
Opioids
Def.:
Drugs that have analgesic properties, meaning they decrease pain.
Opioid auskalkt acts as agonist on the opioid receptors.
- heroin
- morphine
- methadone
- codeine
- prescription drugs
Hallucinogens
Def.:
Drug that results in profound alterations in sensory and perceptual experiences.
hallucinogens can act as agonist and antagonist on different neurotransmitter, depending on the drug.
- LSD
- Cannabis
- Ketamine
Pain Killers
New trend drugs, especially in the US.
- codeine
- oxycodone
- methadone
- morphine
- fentanyl
Agonist
Def.:
Mimic the effect of the specific neurotransmitter which is targeted by binding to the same receptor sites as the endogenous transmitter and producing the same functional response
Antagonist
Def.:
Bind to the same receptor sites as neurotransmitter but do not trigger the series of events that lead to functional response. Can prevent the functional effect of the endogenous neurotransmitter - blocking
