Pharmacology & Etiology Flashcards
which neurotransmitter do psychedelics primarily act on?
serotonin
what impact does LSD + MDMA have?
influence cognition, perception, emotion, cause hallucinations, euphoria, panic, anxiety
considerations/ limitations in animal research
- animal models can describe a facet of addiction, but are simply tools and considerations
- predictive validity, construct and face validity
- differing physiologies, ethical concerns, models of recovery/social support
mesolimbic dopamine pathway
mediates pleasure and reinforcing properties of drugs
operant conditioning and how it works in addiction
operant conditioning: organism operating in environment to produce an outcome, which will either inc/dec likelihood of it continuing in future
- beh controlled by consequences
- + and - reinforcements, and reinforcement schedules
how classical conditioning is in addiction, and incl. cue reactivity
conditioned place preference: animals spend more time in place (cage) where drug is given
drug paired cues and tolerance:
- when drug user takes drugs in other location, risk of OD inc. greatly
- homeostatic compensations (accts for tolerance) occur when drug user anticipates drug, rather than just respond to pharm. stim (cue reactivity)
- anticipatory responding: result of classical conditioning
a) cues present at time of drug admin = CS
b) homeostatic drug-compensatory responses = UCR
classical conditioning in addiction w/ attentional bias hypothesis
attentional bias hypothesis: conditioned drug stimulus produces inc. in corticostriatal DA , which directs attention toward drug stimuli
- motor preparation, hyperattention to drug stimuli
- enhances craving, promotes relapse
ecological validity and how does it relate to cognitive research on addiction
- it is the extent to which a study represents real life
- used to study gambling disorder, set up labs to mimic a casino (dimmed lights, slot machines, noises, etc)
sign tracking
beh that is directed towards a stimulus as a result of a learned association b/t that stimulus and a reward (ex: rat goes to cue instead of food)
goal tracking
beh that is directed towards an outcome (rat goes to food instead of cue)
3 explanations for drug overdose
- take too much of a drug
- when an opiate is combined with another substance
- take substance in location that is not associated with drug use
how does overdose relate to Pavlovian conditioning?
Taking a drug in the same location leads to cue associations. So, when you use drugs in a diff location, there will be homeostatic compensations in the brain, meaning they anticipate the substance rather than stimulation from the drug
- greatly inc. risk for OD
what main neurotransmitters does alcohol impact?
Glutamate and GABA - leads to feelings of sedation, relaxation, inhibited cog/motor skills
what characteristics of a drug determine its addictiveness?
how fast it passes blood-brain barrier
- meth reaches brain very fast, instant reward/pleasure, and is supported by hyperbolic discounting theory
allostasis
chronic substance use leads to adaptation - opponent processes lead to down and up regulation in opposite direction of substance’s effects –> withdrawal
recovery is gradual at brain level, need to get used to interacting w/ environment differently
