Neurobiology of addiction Flashcards
The process of stimulus and response occur in these three stages
Sensory reception, interconnection and motor response
Sensory reception
Some type of stimuli is detected either from outside or within the body
Interconnection
The stimuli creates an electrical message that is then transmitted from one part of the system to another
Motor response
An appropriate response is triggered, such as a muscular contraction, as a result of a message being sent back to a body part by a nerve center.
The nervous system consist of three major structures:
The brain, the spinal cord, and the peripheral nerves
The Nervous system has two major parts:
The central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system
Psychoactive drugs have their primary effect on:
The central nervous system
The central nervous system is composed of:
The brain and the spinal cord
The peripheral nervous system consists of:
All of the nerves that branch out from the central nervous system and connect the system to other body parts
What are the two subdivisions of the peripheral nervous system
The somatic system and the autonomic system
What is the somatic system comprised of
The cranial and spinal nerves which connect the CNS to the skin and skeletal muscles
What are the two subdivisions of the autonomic system:
The sympathetic division and the parasympathetic division
What is dopamine?
A neurotransmitter found in the brain, associated with body movement and pleasure.
What is Serotonin?
A brain neurotransmitter associated with regulation of sensory perception and sleep & body temperature.
Alterations in the serotonin functioning have been found to be related to mental illness and certain drug induced hallucinations
Enkephalins and Endorphins
Both compounds have pain killing properties that are more powerful than morphine.
Endorphins are 40x’s more powerful than Enkephalins and 100x’s more powerful than morphine
