lecture 2 - drugs, addiction , reward + reinforcement Flashcards
what is the pure food and drug act? when was it developed?
administration created to regulate and enforce labeling ingredients on drugs.
developed in 1906
what is the harrison narcotics act? when was it developed?
passed in response to growing drug abuse problem in US. non-medical use of opium & cocaine banned, but physicians could still prescribe
developed in 1914
what is the 18th amendment to constitution? when was it developed?
banned sale and distribution of alcohol
developed in 1920 and and repealed in 1933
what is the marijuana tax act? when was it developed?
marijuana importation, cultivation, and distribution highly regulated and taxed highly. also the criminalization of growth and posession of it.
developed in 1937
what is the presidential commission on narcotics and drug abuse? when was it developed?
congressional support of addiction treatment and start of war on drugs
developed in 1960s
what is the controlled substances act? when was it developed?
created the DEA, drug schedules were created and regulated by the DEA
developed in 1970
what is the sentencing reform act? when was it developed?
created mandatory minimum sentences for drug related offenses
developed in 1984
what accounts for every thought, sensation, emotion, and physical movement?
brain structures and chemistry
what are factors of addiction?
- anatomical characteristics of the brain
- connectivity of pathways
- changes in neurotransmitter concentrations
what is addiction also termed as?
substance use disorder
what is the definition of addiction?
a chronically relapsing disorder characterized by …
1. compulsion to seek out and consume the drug
2. loss of control in limiting intake
3. a negative emotional state when access to the drug is prevented
what drives an addict?
their craving for the drug
what is physical dependence?
abstaining from the drug leads to unpleasant withdrawal symptoms that cause the person to return to the drug use
what are drug free period known as?
remission
what is the period of when drug use reoccurs despite its negative consequences?
relapses
what are dopaminergic neurons?
neurons releasing dopamine
what is dopamine involved in?
behaviors
where are cell bodies of dopaminergic neurons located in the brain?
- substantia nigra
- ventral tegmental area (VTA)
how do dopamine pathways form?
axons extend through the brain
what are the different dopamine pathways?
- nigrostriatal pathway
- mesolimbic pathway
- mesocortical pathway
what is the starting point and ending point of the nigrostriatal pathway? what is it responsible for?
start: substantia nigra
end: striatum in basal ganglia
responsible for habit formation and compulsive behaviors
what is the starting point and ending point of the mesolimbic pathway? what is it responsible for?
start: ventral tegmental area
end: nucleus accumbens
responsible for motivation, pleasure, and cravings
what is the starting point and ending point of the mesocortical pathway? what is it responsible for?
start: ventral tegmental area
end: prefrontal cortex
responsible for self control, stress reactivity, and motivation
what feelings reinforce behavior so that it will be repeated?
pleasurable feelings
how do natural rewards allow an individual to feel pleasure?
natural rewards such as food, water, sex, and nurturing allows a person to feel pleasure when eating, drinking, procreating, and being nurtured
what is the pathway that is responsible for rewarding pathways?
mesolimbic “reward” pathway
what are primary reinforcers?
you know when something feels good
what pathway do most drugs of abuse affect directly or indirectly?
mesolimbic pathway
what does overactivation of the mesolimbic dopamine pathway lead to?
drug cravings and then substance use disorder
what does stimulating the mesolimbic dopamine pathway do in regards to behavior?
it increases the likelihood of behavior to be repeated (positive reinforcement)
why do addictive substances have a distorted reward value?
they mimic effect of natural rewards but in a greater magnitude and thus shape behavior. eventually, pathological learning will cause the person to prefer the substance over natural rewards.
what is impulsivity?
the inability to control goal directed behavior and the lack of consider for consequences of actions
what is the brain activity of an individual who shows impulsivity?
- REDUCED prefrontal cortex activity
- INCREASED mesolimbic dopamine pathway
what is the mesocortical dopamine pathway responsible for?
executive control like reasoning , decision-making, impulse control, working memory
what occurs if there is disruption in the mesocortical pathway?
problems with self control, stress-reactivity, and motivation to seek drugs
what dysfunctional loop is responsible for compulsive behaviors of addiction?
cortico-striatal-thalamic-cortical loop
- orbitofrontal cortex
- anterior cingulate cortex
- nigrostriatal dopamine pathway
- thalamus
what does the orbitofrontal cortex do in compulsive behavior?
integrates sensory info for decision making and is highly involved in anticipating the outcome of choices (consequences of my actions)
what does the anterior cingulate cortex do in compulsive behavior?
tags emotions to thoughts like disgust, guilt. regulates emotional feelings.
what does the nigrostriatal dopamine pathways do in compulsive behavior?
the striatum in the basal ganglia is responsible for movement and automation of motor sequences – repetitive behaviors
what does the thalamus do in compulsive behavior?
it is the relay station
what is a habit?
repeated behavior in which the repetition may be unconscious
what are habits by compulsion?
if habit occurs by compulsion and considerable discomfort is experienced if the behavior is not performed, then it is considered addiction
what are the characteristics of disease?
- clear biological basis
- identifiable signs/symptoms
- predictable course and outcomes
- inability to control the cause of the disease
what association labeled alcoholism as an illness and when did this occur?
the american medical association deemed it as an illness in 1956
when did the supreme court declare addiction to be a disease?
1962
where are diagnosis parameters for drug addiction published in?
- DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders )
- ICD-10 (International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems )
who developed the ICD?
the world health organization
who developed the DSM-5?
the american psychiatric’s association
why is ICD and DSM-5 different?
ICD is in all languages for all countries and providers, and for all diseases.
DSM-5 is in English and for US behavioral health providers, only psychological and psychiatric disorders.
what are the severity components added to the diagnosis by the DSM-5?
- mild: meet only two or three criteria
- moderate: meet four or five criteria
- severe: meet six or more criteria
what is behaviorism?
the understanding that behavior is a response to the environment and pathological learning
what is classical conditioning?
through repeated pairing, a neutral stimulus can eventually be correlated with a reward
what is a preconditioning?
- the beer label makes has no effect on you
- the beer itself makes you drunk (unconditioned stimulus)
what is conditioning?
the beer with the specific beer label makes you drunk
what is post conditioning?
the label itself causes you to think your drunk even if the beer isnt there
what environmental cues can increase drug cravings?
- people: drug dealer, bartender
- places: bars, frat party
- time periods: after 10 pm on a saturday
- things: bongs, lighters
what is operant conditioning?
specific consequences are associated with a voluntary behavior. rewards are introduced to increase a behavior and punishment decreases a behavior.
what is the term of increasing the likelihood of a behavior happening?
reinforcement
what is the term of decreasing the likelihood of a behavior happening?
punishment
what is a primary reinforcer?
intrinsically rewarding
what is a secondary reinforcer?
learned associations cause an item to be consider valuable because of what it signals
what is satiation?
satisfaction/fullness
what is immediacy?
how quickly the response occurs
what is contingency?
how reliably the consequence follows the behavior
what is strength of stimulus?
how strong the stimulus is
if you give something bad to a person, what happens?
their behavior is weakened and won’t want to do it again (POSITIVE PUNISHMENT)
if you give something good to a person, what happens?
their behavior is strengthened so they most likely will do it again (POSITIVE REINFORCMENT)
if you take something bad away from a person, what happens?
their behavior is strengthened so they most likely will do it again (NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT)
if you take something good away from a person, what happens?
their behavior is weakened and won’t want to do it again (NEGATIVE PUNISHMENT)
