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Drugs and Behavior > Lecture #8 > Flashcards

Lecture #8 Flashcards

1
Q

Definition: Addiction

A

a repeated behavior that has a negative impact or results in distress

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2
Q

What are some negative impacts of Addiction?

A
  • financial
  • relationships
  • medical
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3
Q

Addict vs Abuser

A

These terms tend to refer to the severity of the behavior

  • Addict implies the severity of the behavior is more serious
  • But they are similar and only differ in degree
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4
Q

Drug vs Medicine

A
  • Drug: addictive substance
  • Medicine: curative/helpful substance
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5
Q

Can a substance be both a drug and a medicine?

A

Yes, for example painkillers like opioids.

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6
Q

What are the types of tolerance we discussed?

A
  • Pharmacodynamic: regulation of receptors
  • Metabolic: regulation of enzymes
  • Behavioral: learned effects
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7
Q

What is dependence?

A
  • Dependence is associated with physiological need:
    • when drug is not taken there are physiological signs
    • with addictive drugs these may be negative and thus one may continue to take the drug to avoid these symptoms
    • these syptoms are called withdrawal
  • combination of tolerance and dependece can lead to continued use of a drug evne after it no longer produces desired effects
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8
Q

What is the distinction between opioids and cocaine?

A

No withdrawal from cocaine. Thus, aboidance of withdrawal cannot be the sole basis of addiciton.

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9
Q

What does the 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), replace addiction and dependence with?

A

DSM-5 published by the American Psychiatric Association replaces such terms with substance use disorder or sustance-induced disorder. For the reasons previously discussed in class, such as stigma of being labeled an addict.

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10
Q

Does the DSM-5 include other behaviors besides drug use? How does it decide which are listed?

A
  • Gambling disorder is an example of a non drug related behavior included
  • Such behavior is included because it has received scientific studies
  • We can only label as addicting that which has been shown to be so in a scientiic study.
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11
Q

What are some of the general symptoms of addiction?

A
  • Haven’t been able to cut back or stop
  • Experience stress when trying to stop
  • Lie or try to confeal behavior
  • etc.
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12
Q

What do we know abou the Incas?

A

There are woddcuts from Incas of priests drinking a form of cocaine. This suggest that the effect of cocaine was associated with the Sun God.

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13
Q

What is laudanum?

A

Laudanum is opium extract in alcohol.

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14
Q

What effects did the temperance movement have on drug use?

A

Created a social stigma because it associated drug use with criminal behavior.

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15
Q

How have advances in drug availability changed drugs?

A
  • advances in chemisty (morphine from opium, cocaine from coca), have been able to have drugs in more concentrated forms therefore they are more addictive.
  • The developement of hypodermic syringes (1858) allowed injection into the bloodstream
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16
Q

How did drug laws affect drug availability?

A
  • Lack of drug control laws resulted in these drugs being use in tonics and patent medicines.
  • Heroin for examle, was synthesized by Bayer Laboratories in 1874 and was first marketed as a nonaddicitng subsitute for codeine to control coughs.
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17
Q

What happened in the 20th century, specifically in 1906?

A
  • During the 20th century, the federal government increasingly controlled the commercialiation of drugs beginning with the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906.
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18
Q

What act was passed in 1914 and what did it do?

A

The Harrison Act in 1914 controlled the use of opiates and cocaine, prohibitng non-medical use.

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19
Q

How did regulations affect physicians and addicts? Were clinics effective?

A
  • Many physicians had been providing maintenance doses to addicts, but addiction was not considered a disease at the time, so addicts were cut off from this source. they turned to street dealers, and prices skyrocketed.
  • Clinics to treat addicts became prevalent but were larely ineffective.
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20
Q

What were the consequences of alcohol prohibition (1920)?

A
  • Speakeasis that sold alcohol illegally sprang up everywhere.
  • The organized crime movement became established.
  • Prohibition ended in 1933.
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21
Q

How has drug availability changed since the 1980s?

A
  • Since 1980, the appearance of new drugs and increased potency of illegal drugs led to the U.S. government’s “War on Drugs” however illegal drug use continues on a massive scale.
  • The current political climate is strongly agains tlegalization or decriminalization of anny currently illegal drugs.
    • Marijuana legalization and opinions regarding it have changed quickly, text does reflect it.
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22
Q

What act was passed in 1970 and what does it do?

A
  • The Controlled Substances Act of 1970 established a system to classify abuse potential of drugs: the Schedule of Controlled Substances.
  • It excludes alcohol and tobacco which are drugs, but industry influence had an effect on the writing of this law.
  • Though updated, the schedule may not accurately reflect curret understanding of some abused subtances.
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23
Q

How do Scheduels of addictiveness work? Are they accurate?

A
  • The different schedules are supposed to reflect addictiveness
  • But what is listed is subject to change (and liley much slower than scientific understanding)
  • Other drugs can change scheduels as well
    • Example: Tramadol was raised to Schedule IV drug in August (and individual states had classified it such before then)
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24
Q

What did government data for 2011 show?

A
  • More than 80% of those 12 and older have used alcohol
  • 8.7% of the US population were current users of illicit drugs
  • Legal drugs such as tobacco and alcohol are consumed even more widely
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25
Q

What is one of two explantions for progression in drug use?

A
  1. Starts with a legal drug, progresses to marijuana and then to other illegal drugs. The **Gateway Theory **is one explanation.
  2. An individual who first experiments with an abused drug may or may not progress to regular, nonproblematic use or beyond.
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26
Q

What factors influence addiction?

A
  • route of administration
  • genetic variation (may contribute to vulnerability to addiction)
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27
Q

Expain how the route of administration has an influence over addiciton?

A
  • IV or inhalation results in very fast action but not long lasting
    • increased addiciton potential compared to oral or transdermal (slower action but longer lasting
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28
Q

How does genetic variation influence addiction?

A
  • There appear to be many genes that potentialy influence susceptibility to addiction
  • Individuals who carry specific alleles of genes are at increased risk of developing substance abuse disorders.
29
Q

What is CYP2A6? How does it work?

A
  • CYP2A6 is an enzyme works on nicotine (inactivaitng it)
    • Some genes for this enzyme result in individuals being more susceptible to smoking addiction
30
Q

What are Alcohol degydrogenase (ADH) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH)?

A
  • Alcohol degydrogenase (ADH) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) are enzymes for alcohol
    • genetic variants can result in negative association (flushed face, feeling sick)
31
Q

Can abused drugs act as positive reinforcers?

A
  • Abused drugs can act as positive reinforcers: the drug effect is associatied with the preceding behavior and streghtens desire to perform behavior.
32
Q

Waht is known as Drug Reward?

A

the positive experience associated with drug effect is known as drug reward

33
Q

What is one method we use to study reinforcement?

A

Animal self-administration is one of the most common methods for studying reinforcement.

34
Q

What does FR stand for, and what does it show?

A

FR stands for fixed-ration schedule, we typically see the dose-response function as a U-shaped curve. It is a way of studying self-administration, and how varying the administered dose affects animals.

35
Q

In an FR schedule why go we see a down curve with higher doese?

A
  • Reinforcing properties may decline due to station, aversive reactions/side effects.
36
Q

How does plotting FR scedules help us?

A

Plotting allows us to compare drugs and dose.

37
Q

How does progressive-ratio procedure work?

A
  • Progressive-ration procedure begins iwth training animal to press lever on continuous reinforcement (CR) shedule
    • Following this, swith for a Fr schedule
    • Usually start low, like FR-5
    • Then progressively increase the ration in an orederly fashion and see when animal stops pressing the lever
  • BP
38
Q

What is the Breaking Point?

A
  • Breaking point (or breakpoint) is the ration where responding stops
    • Generally increases with higher doses
39
Q

How can relapse be modeled in self-administration studies?

A
  • Relapse can be modeled in self-administration studies by removing the drug (forced abstinence) for a period of time (extinction), then introducing stimuli that has been shown to cause animal to readminister drug (relapse).
  • These stimuli include:
    • Drug priming: giving a small dose of the drug
    • Creating a stressful situation/subject animal to stress
    • Introduce environmental cues that were paried with the initial administration of the drug
40
Q

Relapse stimuli include:

A

These stimuli include:

  • Drug priming: giving a small dose of the drug
  • Creating a stressful situation/subject animal to stress
  • Introduce environmental cues that were paried with the initial administration of the drug
41
Q

Can self-administration experiments be tested in humans?

A
  • Self-administration experiments have been done with humans
    • Generally experienced drug users
    • One example is testing medications (example administration of heroin combined with methadone)
42
Q

What is the Hart (2000) et al experiment?

A
  • Looked at human self-administration and alternative reinforcement
  • participants were in a hospital
  • participants had the option to smoke cocaine 90, 12, 25, 50mg doses) or receive $5 voucher after the study
  • 6 trials a day, the first a ‘sample’ trial then 5 ‘choice trials’
  • sample trial given both voucher and FR-200 for dose available that day
  • on choice trails they select option and perform FR-200 to receive it
  • according to stereotype and addict will always choose the drug. What happened here?
43
Q

What were the results of the Hart (2000) et al experiment?

A
  • choice for cocaine increased with dose, but participants did make choices (evidence that alternative reinforcers can be beneficial for treatment)
  • even if cash was a means to obtain drug later, demonstrates ability to delay gratificaiton
44
Q

If an addict encounters the negative aspects of drug addiction, why does that not counter the positive reinforcement pf drug use?

A
  • Drug-induced high occurs very quickly after consumption; negative consequences are after a time delar, usually linked to a long pattern of use, may be less directly associated.
45
Q

What is the reward circuit?

A
  • The reward circuit: **neural circuit responsible for the acute rewarding and reinforcing effects of abused drugs.
  • Neuroimaging confirms human brais have a reward circuit siilar to that identified in animals, and it is activated by both drug and non-drug rewards
46
Q

What pathway is the reward circuit?

A

The mesolimbic pathway is the reward circuit.

47
Q

What is the primary neurotransmitter involved in the reward circuit?

A

Dopamine is a primary neurotransmitter involved.

48
Q

What is imvolved with the limbic system?

A

emotion and memory are involved with the limbic system

49
Q

What is the amygdala?

A

The amygdala is part of this circuit and is a part of the limbic system.

50
Q

What is the prefrontal cortex involved with?

A
  • The prefrontal cortex is implicated in the decision making and planning process
  • Important to self-control and judgment making (part of planning: the anticipation of negative outcomes)
51
Q

How is the PFC related to drug use?

A
  • Drug use has been shown to influence PFC
  • Alcoholics show lower PFC volume (comparable to level seen in schizophrenics)
52
Q

How do genetic factors further influence addiction?

A
  • Genetic factors go further than different coding for enzymes we discussed
    • There are genetic differences in receptors themselves
      • Different alleles for particular dopamine receptors affect alcoholism rates
      • Differet acetylcholine receptors affect smoking (nicotine) rates
53
Q

What is the heriability ratio?

A

The heritability ratio is a comparison of the genetic make-up and the actual behavior

54
Q

Can psychosocial variables also contribute to addiction risk?

A
  • Psychosocial variables also contribute to addiction risk:
    • Stress and the ability of the person to cope with stress; treatment often includes learning new coping skills
    • Anxiety, mood, or personality disorders; co-occurence with addiction is called comorbidity
55
Q

What is comorbidity?

A
  • Comorbidity is the co-occurance of addiction and anxiety, mood or personality disorders.
    • possible to have deficient reward mechanism in brain leading to both personality disorder and likelihood to abuse for reward
56
Q

What are the two possible explanations for the chicken and egg situation of Comorbidity and Risk Factors?

A
  • Self-medication hypothesis
  • Shared etiology gypothesis
  • Current evidence does not rule out either
57
Q

What is the self-medication hypothesis?

A

Self-medication hypothesis: stressful life event can trigger anxiety and mood disorders (like depression), which in turn can lead to substance use in an attempt at self-medication

58
Q

What is the shared etiology hypothesis?

A

Shared etiology hypothesis: certain factors (genetic and/or environmental) contribute to elevated risk of both addiction and other psychiatric disorders

59
Q

What is the opposite of most risk factors?

A

Protective factor

60
Q

What are some risk factors?

A
  • Certain personality traits: risk taking, sensation seeking and impulsive behavior
    • This can be related to judgement (remember PFC)
  • Environment with peers who tried or use the drug and will offer the drug/acceptance of use by friends
  • Community attitudes towards substance use
  • Parental attitudes
  • Perceived prevalence
61
Q

What are some protective factors?

A
  • An intact and positive home environment
    • Parent/child bond
  • Positive educational experience
  • Exercise
  • Conventional peer relationships
  • Positive attitudes and believes
  • 2+ extracurricular activities
  • Important: compensation for risk factors
    • Dealing with health problems in non-problematic ways
62
Q

How does stress affect a person?

A
  • Stress alters biological functions including immune response and development
  • Stress at a young age may be particularly destructive and age of drug use is a predictor of future addiction
  • Adolescent rats seek more reward than adutls, may administer more drug, may reflect similar tendency in humans
63
Q

How did the Modeling Stress experiment work on rats?

A
  • Rat experiment: 2 weeks of once daily separation of mother from pups
    • Group 1 15 minutes, Group 2 180 minutes
  • Group 2 self-administerers more than twice as much (for both alcohol and cocaine)
64
Q

How has the study of monkeys given us knowledge on evironmental interactiosn?

A
  • Monkeys in groups establish hierachies
  • One experiment measure d2 receptors and drug self-administration with monkeys in group
  • At start there was no structure to group
  • After several months a hierarchy was established
  • The dominant monkeys in the group had increased D2 receptor levels by 20 to 25%
    • Subordinates had no change
  • The dominant monkeys were less vulnerable to drug use
65
Q

How were dominant monkeys affected?

A
  • The dominant monkeys were less vulnerable to drug use
    • Because of more receptors, they did not need as much drug to have a rewarding effect
  • Implicaitosn that social situations can change drug vulnerability
    • For good or bad depending on the situation
    • Relates back to risk and protective factors
      *
66
Q

What are some Heroin counter claims to popular beliefs?

A
  • The large majority of people exposed to these drugs do not become addicted
  • Clinical research
    • 19th century many were taking opioids the resulting addiciton <1% of the pupulation
    • In UK heroin has been used in medical practve and there is a virtual absence of addicts created by this practice
    • PCA (patient controlled analgesia) does not results in addictions
67
Q

the Hart et al. experiment was repeated with crystal meth, what were the results?

A
  • Repeated same expriment with crystal meth and found similar results
  • Even at low alternative reinforcer levels 9around $5) participatns only picked the drug around half the time (averaged across all doses)
  • At higher levels (around $20) that number drops significantly
68
Q

What do animals studies find?

A
  • Animals will self-administer most of drugs of abuse
    • Psychological dependence
    • Physical dependence
  • Maybe the animals feel isolated and stressed out?
  • Rat park experiment
    • The rats had space
    • Males/ females
    • Rats did not choose to administer morphine
69
Q
A

Drugs and Behavior (6 decks)

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