recreational drugs Flashcards
what is a drug
a chemical that you take that passes from your body to your brain thats changes the messges your brain cells are sending
what are the types of drugs and the effect they have on the body
depresant - slows down brain activity - alcohol, solvents
hallucinogen - alter what we see - LSD
painkiller - blocks nerve impuses - paracetamol
performance enhancers - improves muscle developmet - steroids
stimulant - increases brain activity - nicotine, caffeine, ecstasy
what is a recreational drug
used in absence of medical grounds for personal enjoyment
what is addiction
unpleasant withdrawal symptoms appear so overwhelming urge to take drug
tolerance may develop so you take drug to get same effect
adictive drugs activate brains reward system by increasing release of dopamine
what are agonist and antagonist drugs
agonist - bind to receptors and activates them to increase the message
antagonist - binds to receptor but doesnt activate it and can block or reverse activity
what are the 4 modes of action
- block receptors - NTs dont fit (antagonist)
- attach to receptors and mimic effect of NT (agonist)
- prevent recycling (agonist)
- cause more NT to be produced
what effect does canabis have on the brain
- bind to cannaboinoid recptor and block
- affects memory (cannabinoid recptors in hippocampus)
- excess dopamine
what effect do amphetamines have on the brain
block reuptake of dopamine and force release
happiness and power
what affect does cocaine have on the brain
blocks reuptake of dopamine and seotonin
confidence and energy and pleasure
what affect does nicotine have on the brain
mimics acetylcholonen binding to recptors
increased memory
blocks enxyme that breaks down dopamine
what effect does heroin have on the brain
decreases GABA
increases dopamine
pleasure and euphoria
attaches to opoid recptors so slows breathing
what affect does alcohol have on the body
has depressant affect
increases action of GABA
slughish
stops enzyme breaking down dopamine
evaluate recreational drugs
+ olds and milner, implanted electrodes into rats brain and gave electrical stimulation and experienced pleasure and ectasy, rats pressed lever to stimulate this
- alternative explanations of drug use, OC, SLT, CC
- hard to study mode of action
- complexity in how transmission works, more than one reward system
+ picken and thompson cocaine to rate when pressing lever, pressed leaver more
