Motivational Systems, Drugs, And Addiction Flashcards

1
Q

What are the two main dopamine systems

A

Mesolimbic system

Nigrostriatal system

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What is the main dopamine projection system

A

Mesolimbic system

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Motivational loop and motor loops

A

Nigrostriatal

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What does the nigrostriatal system consist of

A

From SN to caudate N and putamen

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What nucleus participates in the motivational and motor loops

A

Caudate

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What does the mesolimbic system consist of

A

From tegmental area to prefrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens (ventral striatum), amygdala, hippocampus, other limbic regions

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What is the mesolimbic system important for

A

Selective attention (prefrontal), natural reward seeking, and involved in drug addiction

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Where is the nucleus accumbens positioned

A

At anterior end of striatum and in a ventral position

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What two structures does the nucleus accumbens continue with

A

Caudate and putamen

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Anterior commisure and the ventral pallidum

A

Portion of striatum lying ventral to anterior commissure crossing

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What loops are the nigrostriatal DA system involved with

A

Motor loops and cognitive loops

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What loops are the mesolimbic DA system involved with

A

Motivational (emotive) loop

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What striatal region is involved in the motivational loop

A

Ventral striatum

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

What striatal region is involved in the motor loop

A

Putamen and caudate

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

What striatal region is involved with the cognitive loop

A

Caudate nucleus

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What are dopamine neurons activated by

A

Emotionally positive (and negative) stimuli and cues that indicate these rewards are available

  • food/nutrients
  • socal: fam/friends/mates
  • sexual arousal/activity
  • music
  • money
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Dopamine release in target regions

A

Nucleus accumbens

-critical for normal behavior and reward seeking

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Impairment in dopamine release can lead to reduction in

A
  • eating, other rewarding activities, spontaneous physical activity, normall mediated by dopamine regulation of: accumbens, orbital cortex, amygdala, hypothalamus
  • attention and working memory (prefrontal)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

What part of the mesolimbic system is strongly activated by various drugs

A

Ventral tegmentum

Nucleus accumbens

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

What are the drugs that affect the nucleus accumbens

A
  • amphetamine
  • cocaine
  • opiates
  • THC
  • phencyclidine
  • ketamine
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

What drugs affect the ventral tegmental area

A
  • opiates
  • ethanol
  • barbiturates
  • benzodiazepines
  • nicotine
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

How do they test to see what parts of the brain are affected by certain drugs

A

They directly stimulate a part of the brain and see if rats will press lever for more.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

Activation of the mesolimbic dopamine system following drug use

A

Serves to reinforce the emotive or motivational loop circuits, which reinforces drug seeking and drug use. Drugs usually induce greater activation of the mesolimbic dopamine system than natural rewards

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

Activation of the mesolimbic dopamine system following drug use, including activation of the amygdala and hippocampus

A

Also serves to add a strongly positive emotional value to any sensory cues associated with drug use or drug availability

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

Appetitive learning

A

Sensory cues that were previously emotionally neutral sensory stimuli gain a strongly positive emotional value. These stimuli alone gain the ability to activate the mesolimbic dopamine system and this stimulus induced is believed to be involved in drug-craving

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

Other than dopamine what else is likely to contribute to drug induced reward and addiction

A

Use-dependent changes in other NT, intracellular signaling pathways, transcription factors

27
Q

A patter of chronic, escalating, and compulsive drug use despite adverse consequences.

A

Addiction

28
Q

Stages of addiction development

A
  • repeated drug use escalates in frequency or dose or both
  • tolerance: higher doses needed
  • psychological dependence: continued use required to maintain normal function
  • dysphoria and withdrawal: periods of non use lead to emotional distress or depressed moods
  • relapse: triggered by exposure to drug or associated cues
29
Q

What happens to the VTA, nucleus accumbens, and prefrontal cortex during drug abuse

A

Structural and neurophysiological plasticity

30
Q

Drug induced neurophysiological plasticity include schanges in

A

Dopamine and other NT receptors, synaptic re-uptake transporters, intracellular signaling pathways downstream to metabotropic NT receptors, transcription factors

31
Q

Drug induces structural plasticity

A

Synapse number and density, dendritic arbor, axon terminals

32
Q

Drug addiction in different people

A

Significant individual variability in whether initial drug use leads to addiction
-risk factors: trauma, physical/sexual abuse, MDD, anxiety

33
Q

Blocks pre synaptic dopamine re-uptake transporter

A

Cocaine

34
Q

Blocks pre-synaptic dopamine re-uptake transporter and can also cause reversal of flow of dopamine through re-uptake transporter back into synapse

A

Methamphetamine

Amps synaptic signaling

35
Q

Amphetamine psychosis: manic, delusional, paranoia

A

Methampehtamine and MDMA (ecstasy)

36
Q

What can the use of methamphetamine and MDMA cause

A

Potential neurotoxicity

37
Q

What is enkephalin synthesized from

A

Gene

38
Q

What is dynorphin synthesized from

A

A gene

39
Q

What is B-endorphin synthesized from

A

A post translational cleavage product of the pituitary hormone PMC, which is also cleaved to produce ACTH, which stimulates adreanl cortex to release cortisol

40
Q

Membrane metabotropic receptors for endogenous opioids

A

Mu
Kappa
Delta

41
Q

Mu receptors

A

Bind enkephalin and opioids drugs

42
Q

Kappa receptors

A

Bind dynorphoin

43
Q

Delta receptors

A

Bind enkephalin

44
Q

Opioids receptor functions

A

Widely distributed in the brain, so diverse functions

  • emotional response to pain
  • appetite and craving salt, sweets, food
  • playability of food
  • reward seeking of various kinds
  • mood
45
Q

Neurobiological basis of addiction

A

Possible contributing factors

  • rewarding activities and stimuli increase endogenous opiates
  • synthesized and released as NT by dopamine neurons
  • opiate drugs can become mroe rewarding than natural stimuli
  • reduce anxiety or other negative emotions: learned self medication
46
Q

Psychoactive substance in marijuana

A

THC

47
Q

Receptors of endogenous canabinoids

A

Anandamide

2-AG

48
Q

What are anandamide and 2-AG synthesized from

A

Phospholipids

49
Q

What do anandamide and 2-AG act as

A

Retrograde messengers: released from post synaptic sites, diffuse across synapse and bind to pre synaptic auto receptors to regulate pre synaptic NT release, mainly glutamate and GABA release
-two proteins coupled receptors: CB1 and CB2 generally inhibitory

50
Q

Where is CB1

A

Widely in the brain

51
Q

Where is CB2

A

Mainly in hypothalamus

52
Q

Prefrontal cortex and cannabinoids and THC

A

Act similarly to local inhibitory internuerons, so excess activation of CB1 can slow or impair cognitive function

53
Q

Reward systems and marijuana

A

Enhances mesolimbic dopamine system activity

54
Q

Hypothalamus and marijuana

A

Activates the orexic systems and suppresses the HPA axis (cortisol) by inhibiting activity of CRH releasing neurons in hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus

55
Q

Hallucinogens and marijuana

A

Proabably indirect effect of inhibiting ongoing sensory info processing in favor of spontaneous neuronal activity in sensory cortex

56
Q

Potential for addiction: marijuana

A

Controversial

57
Q

PCP and ketamine effects

A

Euphoric, hallucinogenic, can lead to psychotic symptoms

58
Q

Neural mechanism of PCP and ketamine

A
  • reward system activation: mesolimbic dopamine system

- hallucinogenic properties: blockade of NMDA-type glutamate receptors

59
Q

When does ketamine act like PCP

A

At low levels

60
Q

What is ketamine normally

A

General anesthetic

61
Q

Mechanism of alcohol (and nicotine)

A

Non specific inhibitory mechanisms via action at axons
-specific sites of action currently under investigation: inhibition of glutamate and serotonin receptors, possibly other undiscovered specific mechanisms

62
Q

What neurons does ethanol activate directly (and nicotine)

A

VTA

63
Q

What should primary care provider look at when looking at drug use

A

Look beyond drugs use itself to the underlying drivers

64
Q

Major drivers of addiction besides activation of reward system

A
  • self medication of anxiety
  • self medication of other negative emotions
  • self medication of Dx or unDx mental health disorders