PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY Flashcards
factors impacting drug experience
- biological characteristics
- psychological
- risk factors
- preventative factors
- expectancies & beliefs
biological characteristics
- genetic factors
- gender
- weight
- age
genetic factors
initial sensitivity
ex. the Asian flush
gender factor
- fat content vs. water content
- more water content dilutes drug concentrations
- more water = lower peak concentration
weight factor
more blood & bodily fluids dilute drug concentration
age factor
- children = enzyme systems immature or non-existent
- elderly = impaired enzyme systems
- enzyme systems responsible for metabolism
psychological factors
- personality
- stress response dampening
- addictive personality
personality factor
- sensation-seeking
- need for varied, novel sensations
- disinhibition
- bordom susceptibility
stress response dampening (SRD)
- increased susceptibility to stress reduction with drug use
- some people more likely to feel alleviation of stress with drug use
addictive personality
little evidence in support
- a hypothesis of people with SUDs share common set of traits
- more aggressive, IMPULSIVE, thrill seeking, rebellious, sociable, extroverted
addictive personality
little evidence in support
- a hypothesis of people with SUDs share common set of traits
- more aggressive, IMPULSIVE, thrill seeking, rebellious, sociable, extroverted
risk factors
- parents acceptance of drug use
- poor school performance
- perceived peer approval
- trying alcohol before 13
- emotional distress
- high comorbidity with mental illness
protective factors
limits risk of drug use
- child’s degree of attachment to parent
- parental supervision
- committment to school
- involvement in activities
expectancies & beliefs
- may influence perceived effect
- environment; social vs. alone
- learning from others; watching how experiences users act & respond
psychopharmacology phenomena
- tolerance
- sensitization
- drug abuse
- drug dependence
- addiction
tolerance
- how prior use of a drug impacts future effects
- more use = dose response curve shifted to right
- shift in potency = need more of drug to get same effect
dispositional tolerance
- metabolic
- body gets better at getting rid of the drug meaning more drug is needed for effects
- metabolic adaptions = ↑ enzyme levels with chronic use
- changes in efficiency or capacity to metabolize drug
functional tolerance
multiple types
- site of action is less sensitive = lessened response
- related to pharmacodynamics
- umbrella term for other types
- changes in post-synaptic synapses
acute tolerance
tachyphylaxis
- occurs with cocaine & alcohol within single session
- functional tolerance
- the effects of a dose feel better on way up than the same concentration on way down
- after first dose, tolerant to effects even if taking same dose
- always chasing the feeling of the first hit
- reverses very quickly
protracted tolerance
- more drug is needed to achieve same effects
- chronic use = higher tolerance
- can be reversed but takes time
- functional tolerance
cross-tolerance
- use of one drug resulting in tolerance of another drug with similar effects
- due to similar chemical composition
- functional tolerance
reverse tolerance or sensitization
- heightened sensitivity to drug’s effects after a period of abstinence
- abstinence with time can increase sensitivity in site of action
- cocaine, marijuana, opioids
think ‘T-break’
homeostasis hypothesis
how functional tolerance works
- cell adaptation
- brain is malleable & able to be reformed
- attempting to restore balance back to optimal level
- adapts to create a new baseline level
downregulation
- if drug ↑ NT availibilty (agonist) then natural NT levels decrease
- body trying to compensate neurotransmission by decreasing receptor levels
- drug taken repeatedly = body creates new baseline (less receptors)
ex. there are less D2 receptors in nucleus accumbens for chronic cocaine users because cocaine increases dopamine levels, forcing body to compensate
upregulation
- increase in receptors when drug decreases NT levels
- more enzymes to metabolize drug if drug prevents NT
- chronic use = more enzymes at baseline
behavioral tolerance
learned tolerance
- tolerance that is learned through association
- habituation, context/environment, conditioning
- HARDEST TO REVERSE
Pavlovian conditioning
- association of stimulus with a drug means stimulus will now create craving of the drug
- even being shown a video of the drug can increase prefrontal cortex activity
- anticipation of reward triggers activation of dopamine system
homeostatic counter-reaction
- chronic user’s body prepares itself to take drug
- can reduce net effect of the drug
- ex. caffeine increases heart rate so body would decrease heart rate in anticipation of caffeine consumption
classical conditioning
- the longer you’ve been taking a drug, the stronger the conditioning
- even just the ANTICIPATION of reward triggers activation of dopamine system
operant conditioning
- things that have worked in the past are expected to work again
- uses reinforcement and punishment
reinforcement
- part of operant conditioning
- action or stimulus that is likely to increase a behavior
- adding something
positive reinforcement
- action/behavior that increases the likelihood of ‘good’ thing happening again
- given reward = increase
ex. study for exam 1 & get an A → increase likelihood of studying again since worked last time to get reward
negative reinforcement
- action/behavior that increases likelihood of ‘bad’ thing not happening again
- ex. turning on AC in car in summer; bad thing = hot car & sweating → add action (AC) to decrease chance of being sweaty
punishment
- part of operant conditioning
- action/stimulus to decrease behavior
- taking behavior away
positive punishment
- adding something that decreases likelihood of behavior happening again
- ex. add a time-out for kid to decrease bad behavior
think seatbelt in car; want to decrease behavior of not wearing a seatbelt (bad) → ADD annoying seatbelt detector noise = annoying beep added to decrease behavior of not wearing seatbelt
negative punishment
- removal of something that decreases likelihood of behavior happening again
- typical thought of punishment
ex. kids fighting = bad behavior so you take away their allowance → no allowance to decrease fighting behavior
drug use & reinforcement
- positive = drug experience, social acceptance
- negative = withdrawal, craving
- action = drug use, bad thing = withdrawal, add action to decrease bad (get rid of withdrawal by using drug)
positive = enjoy the high of marijuana → increase chance of smoking
drug use & punishment
- positive = add bad thing to decrease behavior
- add prison sentence → decrease drunk driving
- negative = remove good thing to decrease behavior
- losing family → decrease drug use
animal models of reinforcement
using self-administration
- teach animal to press lever when red light to receive drug & to ignore green light
- can use to study extinction & drug discrimination
- animal learns pressing lever = drug (reward) → press lever more & more over time until max is reached
- no reward → animal eventually stops pressing
- then use reinstatement to study extinction
extinction
- cessation of learned response over time when reward is stopped
- NOT same as forgetting
- followed by reinstatement
reinstatement
- reward given once again & memory is still present
- if lever starts to give reward again, learned behavior still present
drug discrimination
- animal studies - press lever 1 for drug, press lever 2 for food
- can see similarities/differences between drugs
- what kind of drugs are chosen over food reward
punishment animal studies
- animal given drug & an electric shock at same time
- stop pressing lever (for drug)
- can compare drugs to see if one is more likely to be squashed with negative shock
i.e. cocaine vs. heroin → heroin more likely for continued use despite shock
conditioned place preference/aversion
- animal studies with 2 choices of environment
- box 1= receives drug & box 2 = neutral (no drug)
- animal given choice between boxes; goes to box 1 if drug effects enjoyed
- shows preference between drugs (cocaine over heroin)
placebo effect
- may feel an effect if person is convinced there should be an effect
- need it as control because mind over matter sometimes
- only seen in humans, not animals
single blind
subject being tested doesn’t know what condition they’re in, but experimenter knows
participant not sure if receiving placebo or treatment
double blind
- neither subject nor experimenter knows the condition
- preferred method, not always possible
active placebos
- cause side-effects that are difference than expected effects of drug
- artificial drug causes real effects but different
i.e. testing drug that treats insomnia, active placebo causes excessive sweating effects
new drug development to target addiction
- drug with <toxicity/side effects than addictive drug
- inhibits craving (eliminate motivation
- blocks effects of misused drug (no rewarding effects)
- blocks effects of ALL drugs of misuse (multiple drugs can substitute)
- long lasting
- orally effective
process is very long, and often unsuccessful
