Lecture 13- Cocaine Flashcards
What is cocaine?
White, crystalline powder from coca leaves that looks like small, irregular shaped rocks. -Cocaine is an intense, euphoria-producing stimulant drug with strong addictive potential.
Where does cocaine originate?
Common in S America due to high growing regions eg Costa Rica involved in biggest drug seizure in history w/ +5tonnes found in shipping container.
What are the consumption origins of cocaine?
In miners, the traditional uses included chewing the leaves to reduce hunger and pain in order to endure harsh working conditions.
What is the economic impact and cultural significance of cocaine use in miners?
-Economic impact of global demand has led to illegal coca cultivation and drug trafficking which affects the miner community and livelihood.
-Cultural significance as coca leaves are deeply ingrained in Bolivia culture so efforts to support miners should be sustainable and economic
What are some severe behavioural effects of cocaine?
Irritability
Extreme exhaustion
Extreme violence
Delusions of grandiosity
What are the 3 ways of doing cocaine?
Snorting- high lasts 30mins but can cause nasal damage eg loss of smell
Smoking- Intense high lasting 10mins but risks of respiratory issues
Injecting- Immediate, intense high but risks of overdose.
What are some examples of minor Behavioural effects?
Mood amplification
Hyperactivity
Inflated self esteem
What are the origins of consumption of cocaine in coca-cola?
Originally contained and marketed as medicinal tonic
In 1904, began using ‘de-cocainized’ coca leaves and began non-cocaine formula.
How does cocaine affect neurotransmitters?
blocks nerve conduction by inhibiting Na+ channels, local anaesthetic use
How does cocaine interact with dopamine?
Dopamine reuptake transporters are blocked by cocaine, this results in increased dopamine in the synaptic cleft, leading to behavioural symptoms of cocaine use.
how does cocaine affect beyond the synaptic cleft (rest of body)?
the sympathetic nervous systems (SNS) (responsible for fight/flight) activation creates a high and ‘rush’ feeling but also hypertension and vasoconstriction so potentially a stroke.
How does chronic cocaine use affect behavioural responses?
Paranoia and irritability: Long-term use can lead to heightened paranoia and irritability, sometimes escalating to full-blown psychosis
Insomnia: Difficulty sleeping is a common symptom, often leading to exhaustion
Social withdrawal: Users may become isolated, withdrawing from family and friends
How does chronic cocaine use affect anatomical function?
Heart Damage: Cocaine can cause chronic high blood pressure, irregular heartbeats, and increase the risk of heart attacks
Blood Clots: It can lead to blood clots, which may result in strokes or pulmonary embolisms
Lung Diseases: Chronic use can lead to lung diseases like chronic bronchitis or pneumonia
Organ Stress: Cocaine puts significant stress on the liver and kidneys, which can eventually lead to organ failure
How does cocaine use affect dopamine system disruption?
Cocaine increases dopamine levels in the brain, leading to feelings of euphoria. Over time, this can disrupt the brain’s reward system, making it difficult to experience pleasure without the drug and contributing to addiction.
How does cocaine affect cognitive decline?
Users may experience problems with attention, memory, and executive functions, which can persist even after stopping cocaine use
How does cocaine affect grey matter volume?
Reduces as chronic cocaine use can lead to a reduction in grey matter volume, affecting areas involved in decision-making etc
How does cocaine affect white matter damage?
White matter is crucial for communication between different brain regions. Damage to white matter can result in impaired coordination and slower cognitive processing
How does cocaine affect the prefrontal cortex?
This part of the brain is responsible for higher-order cognitive functions and emotional regulation. Long-term cocaine use can cause shrinkage in this area
What are the pharmacological treatment strategies of cocaine addiction?
Tricyclic antidepressants are most commonly used to treat cocaine addiction. Dopamine based substances that reduce euphoric effects and can help reduce withdrawal cravings
What are the 3 behavioural treatments for cocaine addiction?
Contingency management (CM)
CBT
Therapeutic communities
What is contingency management?
(Behavioural treatment)
Uses a reward-based system to encourage abstinence from cocaine by providing incentives for drug-free urine tests.
What is CBT?
(behavioural treatment)
Helps patients develop skills to recognize and avoid triggers and teaches coping mechanisms to deal with problems associated with drug use.
What is Therapeutic communities?
(behavioural treatment)
Drug-free residences where individuals support each other in understanding and changing their behaviours, fostering long-term recovery.
What are the mechanisms of cocaine action in animals?
Areas stimulated lead to increased locomotor behaviour but if we lesion the brain areas, the behaviour symptoms do not occur as leads to decreased locomotor and stereotyped behaviours.
What did Inada et al (1992) say about cocaine tolerance?
Found that when cocaine administered continuously over 11 days to test tolerance in rate. Found initial impulse and feeling of high. After 35mins, creates rapid tolerance, behaviours are decreasing.
What can said about tolerance in addicts vs controls?
In healthy controls, experience of cocaine creates high activation of reward pathways. Those who are addicted, even when receiving same amount of control, it showed less activity suggesting getting less reward from same dosage.
Not always LT damage as normal reward system can be relearned with abstinence.
