Neural Disorders: Advances and Challenges Flashcards
Harmful drug use
Drug abuse
a pathological desire for drugs that occupies an inordinate amount of an individual’s time and thoughts at the expense of other activities
Drug addiction or drug dependence
9% of Americans have this health problem that costs the nation more than $276 billion each year
Drug abuse
difficulty controlling frequency of use and terminating use, despite a stated desire to do so
Addiction
a specific network of neurons that produce pleasure from abusing drugs; it’s normally involved in an important type of learning that helps us to stay alive, but has evolved to mediate the pleasurable and motivating effects of natural rewards
Brain reward system
How do drugs of abuse affect neurons such that they begin to exert their influence?
Abused drugs alter the ways neurotransmitters carry their messages from neuron to neuron; some mimic neurotransmitters, whereas others block them, and some alter the way neurotransmitters are released or inactivated
Why is the brain reward system activated inappropriately in all cases?
Because drugs alter the chemical messages sent among neurons in the circuit
What else, besides the brain reward system, is required for addiction to occur?
The drugs themselves change the brain of susceptible individuals; the brain regions that are altered involve executive functions and judgment which are important in inhibiting behavior and decision-making
What other factors influence the process of becoming addicted?
Motivation (taking opioids to get high vs. using them to relieve pain); Genetic susceptibility/environmental factors (stress can alter people’s response to drugs); the characteristics of the drugs themselves; and the development of tolerance as well as drug dependence
the progressive need for a higher drug dose to achieve the same effect
Tolerance
the adaptive physiological state that results in withdrawal symptoms when drug use stops
Drug dependence
the feeling that a person can’t live without a drug must also be present with the standard responses of tolerance and dependence for addiction to occur
Motivational form of dependence
Synonymous with alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction; nearly 14 million people have this problem which has an annual cost of $185 billion
Alcoholism or alcohol dependence
this affects about 0.5 to 3 of every 1,000 babies born in the US and is the leading preventable cause of mental retardation
Fetal alcohol syndrome
Responsible for more than 25,000 deaths each year, it’s the main chronic health problem associated with alcohol addiction
Cirrhosis
susceptible individuals may feel an opioid-like euphoria from their own endorphins because _______ activates the __________ ______ system
alcohol; endogenous opioid
this medication was developed for heroin addiction, and after research showed that opiate receptors were involved in the dopamine-reward activation of alcohol, it was approved by the FDA for the treatment of alcoholism in 1995
Naltrexone
naturally occurring brain chemicals that induce the same actions as drugs
Opioids
brain structures involved in rewarding cocaine and amphetamines
prefrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens, ventral tegmental area
the prefrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens, amygdala, and ventral tegmental area are all rewarded when _______ are used
Opiates (a specific kind of opioid)
what is the active ingredient in alcoholic beverages that reduces anxiety, tension, and inhibitions?
Ethanol (low doses - stimulant, high doses - depressant; significantly alters mood and behavior and can also cause heat loss and dehydration)
what happens when alcohol interacts with the GABA receptor?
calm anxiety, impair muscle control, and delays reaction time; at higher doses, NMDA receptors may no longer be able to recognize the neurotransmitter glutamate and can cloud thinking which may eventually lead to a coma
Ecstasy, Rohypnol (“roofies”), GHB (gammahydroxy-butyrate), and ketamine are all known as…?
Club drugs
a synthetic psychoactive drug with hallucinogenic and amphetamine-like properties; users encounter problems similar to those found with the use of amphetamines and cocaine
MDMA (“Adam”, “ecstasy”, or “XTC”)
the central nervous system depressants which are often colorless, tasteless, and odorless
Rohypnol, GHB, and ketamine
Rohypnol, GHB, and ketamine have been called the…?
Daterape drugs
abused for its euphoric, sedative, and anabolic (body-building) effects
Gamma-Hydroxybutyric acid
a fast-acting general anesthetic (a drug that brings about a reversible loss of consciousness) that has sedative, hypnotic, analgesic (pain-relieving), and hallucinogenic properties
Ketamine (or “Special K”)
distorts perception and alters the sense of time, space, and self; can produce intense anxiety
Marijuana
the active ingredient in marijuana
tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)
