module 3 Flashcards
what is the function of the nervous system
is the bodys control and communication system
what does the nervous system consist of
brain, spinal cord, sensory organs, and all nerves within the body
CNS
consists of the brain and spinal cord
PNS
consists of all the nerve fibers outside of the CNS
what are neurons
functional unit of the brain and are capable of generating and transmitting electrical signals
- they communicate via synpatic transmission or neurotransmission
parts of the neuron
- dendrites
- axon
- myelin sheath
- synapse
dendrites
are projections of a neuron that receive signals from other neurons
axons
is the slender projection of a neuron that conducts electrical impulses away from the cell body and towards the next cell in the pathway
- action potentials
myeline sheath
is a fatty substance that surrounds nerve cells
- forms around the axon providing a layer of insulation and increasing the rate of transmission along the axon
synapse
when the electrical impulse reaches the end of the axon, it enters the synapse (neuronal junction) the impulse is transferred from one neuron to the dendrites of a second neuron
lobes of the brain
- frontal
- parietal
- temporal
- occipital
frontal lobe
responsible for higher level cognitive functions and control of voluntary movement
partial lobe
processes information about temperature, taste, touch, and movement
temporal lobe
processes memories, integrating them with sensations of taste, sound, sight, and touch
occipital lobe
vision
what part of brain undergoes major development
frontal lobe
what is the frontal responsible for
- higher level cognitive abilities
- planning
- goal-directed behaviour
- decision-making
- complex problem-solving
- cognitive control
(important for success in at university)
grey matter
found within the cortex of the brain
contains neuronal cell bodies and synapses
white matter
found under the cortex and within the cerebrum
- contains myelinated axons
cortex
outermost region of the cerebrum
cerebrum
the large upper part of the brain. it is divided into 2 hemispheres
brain development during early adulthood
- peaks in middle adulthood
- amount of grey matter decreases with age and the white matter increases
changes that occur in the brain during early adulthood
- increased synaptic pruning
- increased myelination
- improved connectivity
increased synaptic pruning
- the process where extra neurons and synpatic connections are eliminated in order to increase the efficiency of neuronal transmission
increased myelinaiton
humans are born with little to no myelin in the CNS
- it occurs throughout childhood and inot the period of accelerated growth seen during the late teens and early twenties
improved connectivity
- is different between brain regions results in larger and more widely distributed neural networks, which is critical for a variety of higher level functions such as learning new complex information and applying
what does substance use fall within
a spectum of use, misuse, and abuse
substance use
refers to the use of psychoactive substance
include; caffeine, alcohol, cannabis, and other illicit drugs
substance misuse
- is the use of a psychoactive substaance in a way that causes concern and/or elevates the risk of reduced well-being and poor mental health
examples of substance misuse
- regular or excess use or use when one should be in class
- use of medication for a purpose other than prescribed
- using a medication in a higher dose or frequency than prescribed
- binge drinking or drinking alot in a short period or at a single social event
substance use disorder
- refers to clinically significant abuse or dependency which includes psycholigcal (impaired control) and physioloigcal (withdrawal and tolerance) aspects of an addicition
disorder criteria for substance use disorder
- worsening physical health, or mental health
- failure to meet responsibilities
- associated losses
- problems in relationships
what is associated with brain development in adolescence and substance use
- mental health concerns and disorders
- cognition
- attention
- learning
- motivation
mental health concerns and disorders
substance use can contribute to the development and worsening of mental health problems including poor sleep, anxiety, depression and psychosis
- increase the likelihood of substance use in turn
cognition: substance use
is associated with altered efficency of brain functions- how you think, percieve and feel
attention and substance use
reduced sustained attention, distraction and errors
- using stimulant medication does not help concentration unless you have a diagnosable attention disorder
learning and substance use
regular cannabis use and alcohol misuse is associated with poorer university performance and higher dropout rates
motivation and substance use
low drive and low motivation are associated with substance misuse, especially regular cannabis use which is associated with an “a motivational syndrome”
when is the most substance misue and use disorders arise
after starting university
what is the most commonly use substnace at university
alcohol
what does alcohol do to the brain
acts primarily on the CNS and functions as a depressant, meaning that it slows down neural processes and communication
- causes disinhibition of normal behaviour
binge drinking
is the consumption of an excess of alcohol at one point in time
- 4 or more drinks for females and 5 or more for males in a single outing
binge drinking: negative outcomes
- risk of physical harm
- blackouts, or forgetting what happened
- hangovers
- poor academic performance
short term effects of alcohol
- reduce anxiety
- mild disinhibition
- slow brain acitivty
- slurred speech
- unsteady balance
- slowed physcial and mental reaction time
- confusion
- poor judgement
blood alcohol correlates with biological and neurocognitive effects
affects the dopaminergic system, and the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamate systems to much alcohol can lead to hangover, stupor, coma and death
dopaminergic system
pathway in the central nervous sytem involving the neurotransmitter dopamine critical for controlling voluntary movement, our reward system, motivation, working memory, and the regulation of emtion
long term effects of alcohol
toxic effects on the brain; shrinkage of key brain areas for memory and reasoning
examples of long term effects of alcohol
- arrhythmias
- weakened immune system, which increases the frequency of colds or pneumonia
- disease of the liver, pancreas, and stomach
- some forms of cancer
- alcoholic dementia
what is second most used substance in the youth
cannabis among youth
what is cannabis
is a psychoactive drug derived from the sativa plant
- contains over 700 chemical over 100 are cannabinoids
how does cannabis work
acts on the central nervous system, varying effects depending on the ratio of active ingredients such as cannabidiol and tetrahydrocannabinol which has hallucinogenic properties
the endocannabinoid system
- your body has natural (endogenous) cannabinoids that act on receptors all over the body to promote normal functioning
- involved in a number of widespread actions such as appetite, pain, immune system, concentration and well-being
what is regular cannabis use associated with
increased risk of worsening or new onset of mental health problems and decreased cognitive efficiency, memory, reaction time and motivation
- and physcial disease such as cardiovascular disorders, chronic obstriuctive lung disease, and possibly some forms of cancer
about CBD
is the second-most abundant cannabinoid in the plant after THC. it has many potential therapeutic benefits
benefits of CBD
- counteracting the effects of THC
- alleviating pain, movement disorders, nausea, having a calming effect
evidence in regards to CBD
- nausea assoicated with chemo
- increasing appetite in HIV patients
- treating some forms of chronic neuropathic pain
what are stimulants
class of drug that increase the activity of the brain
- act on receptors in the brain to either block the reuptake or stimulate the release of neurotransmitters such as dopamine increasing their effects
what is the most common stimulant in uni
caffeine
positive effects of caffine
1-2 regular cups can increase well-being, happiness , enegy , alterness and sociability
guideline for caffeinne in adolescents
should not consume more than 100mg per day or one regular cups of brewed coffee, given the developing brain
guideline of caffenine for adults
no more than 400mg/day (4 cups of regular brewed coffee)
length of effects of caffeine
the average half-life of caffeine is about 5 hours so it should not be consumed after 5pm if you dont want negative impacts on sleep
what does high doses of caffeine lead to?
anxiety, jitteriness, upset stomach
- restlessness and nervousness, inattention, distractibility, irritable mood, insomnia and sleep disruption and lower energy, tolerance
withdrawal symptoms of caffeine
headaches, heart rate increase, changes in blood pressure, shakiness, and reduced cognitive function
non-medical prescription drug
define as use without a prescription or use for reasons other than what medication is intended
what drugs are typically misused by younger people
stimulants (amphetamines, modabigil, meth) and more
why are younger people in higher education misusing stimulants
improve academic performance, social life, to cope with stress, and for reaction or down time
is there evdience for improve acadmeic performance with miusing?
if you dont have ADHD stimulant medication will not improve academic performance
what are potential harms of misusing stimulants
- cardiovascular events
- increased risk behaviours
- poorer well-being
- anxiety and agitation
- poor concentration
- sleep problems
what is ketamine
very powerful anesthetic effects that was used for surgical anesthesia
- mainly used for veterinary medicine as a general anesthetic for animals today
recreational effects of ketamine
- feelings of relaxation and happiness to causing people to feel dream-like and detached
- alter perception of time and hallucination
common names of ketamine
- special K, vitamine K, donkey dust
research effects of ketamine
- it is a general anesthetic it reduces sensations in the body which can lead to injury
- if someone takes to much it can lose ability to move and respond to the environment as through their body and mind is separated
what is MDMA
synthetic drug that is chemically similiar to hallucinogens and stimulants
what does MDMA do to the body
- increased energy, pleasure, emotional warmth, and distorted sensory and time perception
- affects neural chemicals in the brain (serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine)
- can be laced with other drugs
common names of MDMA
ecstasy, molly
research/effects of MDMA
- a single use of MDMA can cause unpleasant feelings and withdrawal including nausea, muscle cramping, blurred vision, faintness, chills, and sweats, trouble concentrating
what is cocaine
a highly addictive stimulant that derives from the coca plant
about cocaine
- primarily affects the level of the neurochemical dopamine in the brain
- user initially experiences a flood of dopamine causing a feeling of pleasure and energy
- trains the brain to want more because after the high there is a crash with feeling of fatigue nad low mood
common names of cocaine
crack, blow, coke, rock, snow
research/effects of cocaine
- with repeated use, cocaine disrupts the dopamine circuits making it hard to enjoy normal daily life
- tolerance builds and withdrawal symtpms occur, depression, restlessness, disrupted sleep, slowed thinking, feeling tired, increased appetite
is binge drinking associated with lower academic engagement and lower grades?
yes.
cannabis use during brain development
- may have a particulatly negative effect on cognitive function, given that this is an important time of brain development
cannabis: disrupting natural endocannabindoids
- can alter brain activation patterns, which affect functions like memory and reduces the efficiency of processes important for academic performance
- disrupts the natural function of the endocannadinioid system and interferes with the natural fine tuning and regulation of brain development and function
lower academic performance and stimulants
- increases alterness and energy that are associated with stimulant use make ppl feel like their academic performance is enahnced even though it is not
- they have lower academic performacne than those who dont misuse
mental and physical health risks ; stimulants
- psychotic disorders (schizophrenia) and with serious heart problems like attacks and sudden death
recreational drug use: MDMA
- prdicits lasting changes in serotonin (5-HT), which affects a number of important functions including mood, thinking, and reward processing
recreational drug use; cocaine
- is associated with serious cardiovascular problems
- high dependence potential
substance use disorder
refers to clinically significant abuse or dependency which includes psychological and physiological aspects of an addiction
what is substance use highly comorbid with
mental health conditions
what are common mental illnesses that are often comorbid with substance abuse
ADHD, anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia
bidirectionality of substance use and mental health
substance use can precede the onset of a mental health and is consider a risk factor for developing a mental disorder
- however, substance misue can stem from attempts to self-medicate or cope with stress or the symtpms of an emerging mental disorder through numbing, distraction, avoidance
stop 1
substance use problems and other behavioural addictions
stop 2
mental health symptoms anxiety, instrusive thoughts, sleep, disturbances, depression
stop 3
alcohol/drug use behaviours with expectation of relief compulsive eating gambling, gaming
stop 4
temporary lowered state of anxiety and distress
stop 5
increased use of substance (or behaviour) to regulate distress
increased risk since the cannabis legalization
developing psychosis
frequency of psychosis
may increase when cannabis is used more frequently, espically on a daily or near daily use
what age does risk of psychosis develop
increase when cannabis use is initiated before the age of 16
family history and psychosis
persons with a family history or psychosis or schizophrenia who use cannabis are at greater psychosis
minimize frequency of use
miniize use during periods of critical brain development (in adolescenece and early adulthood)
use modest amounts
use wisely in modest amounts. ex. when drinking alcohol avoid binge drinking
educate yourself
educate yourself on exactly what you are using and the potential risks
be aware
know what you are using each time you use a substance. do you know the THC percentages of THC:CBD ratio in cannabis? are you sure its not laced
plan ahead
never use substances immediately before or during situations that require attention and alertness (driving, learning)
type of product: reducing the risk with cannabis use
- choosing low-strength products, those with lower THC or a higher CBD to THC ratio
- avoid the use of high poteneny THC
impairment : reducing risk with cannabis
impairs the ability to drive a car or operate machinery
biological considerations: reducing risk with cannabis
- later in life will lower risk with health problems
- people with personal or family history with psychosis or substance use problems and pregnant women should not use at all
combination ; reducing the risk with cannabis
- combining risky behaviours will only increases the health-harming effects
- cannabis and alcohol cuases extreme toxic effect on brain
method of intake; reducing risk with cannabis
- smoking is harmful to lungs
signs of substance misuse or abuse
- difficulties coping with stress
- avoids engagement
- financial problems
- legal repercussions
- declining physical health
- troubles at work
- declining mental health
- troubles with relationships
- difficulties with academic studies
