recreational drugs Flashcards
what are the key assumptions of bio psych?
All behaviours is determined by biological factors, CNS is a major influence on behaviour, and behavioural and psychological developments is assumed to be based on changes in the brain and general biology
Advantages of use of ethical guidelines in psychological research w animals
Rigourous legislation and clear guidleines protect aniamsl that unable to defend themselves, means research can be carried out with benefit to humans without the cost of findings being too high for animals,adhering to society’es moral standards means people are comfortable with research being carried out on animals ensuring good rep of psychological research
Disadvantages of ethical guidelines in psychological research w animals
replications might be prevented so study cannot be repeated ,licences from home office are expensive and difficult to acquire limiting researching opportunities, cannot use endangered species eg Bonobo apes are our closest relatives increasing generalisability but endangered
Define recreational drugs
used in the absence of medical grounds for personal enjoyment altering brain function eg changing mood,perception and conscious experience
What happens when dopamine pathways are activated?
activated by rewarding behaviour eg sex,eating food which stimulate the release of normal levels of dopamine in nucleus accumbens,ventral tegmental area in the limbic system. messages are sent to the frontal cortex and we exp pleasurable feelings likely to exist to encourage us to repeat these behaviours to survive
Effect of recreational drugs on the transmission process in the CNS
altering the dopamine system. increase the levels of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens, and ventral tegmental area (cocaine and heroin target this system)
how do recreational drugs work?
change the way dopamine works in the synapses of the brain and alter the communication of neurons. Intensify and prolong activity in the reward system ensuring dopamine levels continually excites post-synaptic neuron within the system so that they keep firing
how does heroin affect synaptic transmission?
increasing amount of dopamine released into the system by indirectly leading to excitation of dopamine neurons in the VTA so that more dopamine is released into the synapse
how does nicotine affect synaptic transmission?
stopping the action of enzymes that would normally breakdown dopamine so more dopamine is left in the synaptic cleft
define euphoria
intense pleasurable feeling is known as a ‘high’
how does cocaine affect synaptic transmission?
blocks transport receptors on the presynaptic neurons in VTA the pre-synaptic neuron doesn’t reuptake dopamine meaning dopamine remains in the synaptic cleft for longer this prolongs and intensifies the stimulation of the post-synaptic neuron and VTA activates nucleus accumbens and user ex euphoria
describe the effect of cocaine
immediate effects after a single dosage and disappear within a few minutes or an hour making the user feel euphoric, energetic, energetic, talkative and mentally alert to sight, sound and touch. Decreases need for food and sleep temporarily
Describe how addiction is formed.
The brain is a self-regulating system and reacts to this over-production of dopamine by reducing how much dopamine it naturally produces the plasticity of the brain allows it to adapt to changes imposed by the use of the drug means the brain won’t operate without drugs. After a ‘high’ there are feelings of dysphoria which leads to repeated use and then tolerance is built so one needs a greater dose of the drug and then becomes physically dependent on drug
Define withdrawal
When a drug is no longer active in our nervous system resulting in unpleasant symptoms which can be dangerous
weakness of ethics for effects of drugs
- evidence often using animals to support conclusions on how drugs affect the brain eg
Straiker at al found cannabis affected the functioning of the hippocampus in mice such research wouldn’t be ethical to do on humans/Van den Oever affect of herorin on Winstar rats by getting them addicted then decapitating them to investigate effects of the drug
strength psych as a science for the effects of drugs
Well-controlled and standardised this means scientific credibility is high brain scans are also often used eg Li et al fMRI scan on ppts to show heroin changed functioning and connections in the brain in humans so addictive thinking became associated with the reward. however, brain scans cannot give an accurate picture of brain functioning when drugs have been taken they cannot show tiny changes of synapse
what is heroin?
drug made from morphine extracted from opium poppy- very strong painkiller
effects of heroin?
highly addictive, administered through injections -HIV, intense euphoria
how does determinism link to recreational drugs
implies drug addicts how no free will and that their addiction is caused by factors beyond their control- this is because it sees addiction as being determined by the disruption of normal synaptic transmission
individual differences link to recreational drugs
different effects on different people- suggesting bio explanation isn’t complete - may be due to slight differences in brain chemistry between individuals or differences in environment
