Recreational Drugs

Question 1

What are recreational drugs?

Answer 1

Drugs typically taken for enjoyment, often illegal and not for medical purposes

Question 2

What do recreational drugs act as?

Answer 2

Recreational drugs act as agonists or antagonists

Question 3

What do recreational drugs affect?

Answer 3

Recreational drugs affect neurotransmission at synapses in the brain, altering an individuals mood, cognition, perception and behaviour

Question 4

What are the four things that recreational drugs alter in the brain?

Answer 4

PCMB

Perception, cognition, mood, behaviour

Question 5

What is drug addiction caused by?

Answer 5

Drug addiction is caused by repeated use of drugs that act as antagonists

Question 6

How do antagonists cause drug addiction?

Answer 6

Antagonists block specific receptors causing the nervous system to increase the number and sensitivity of these receptors. Causing sensitisation

Question 7

What is sensitisation?

Answer 7

Sensitisation is the process by which more receptors are formed in response to antagonists in order to try generate impulses from neurotransmitters

Question 8

What does sensitisation lead to?

Answer 8

Sensitisation leads to drug addiction where and individual craves more of the drug to get an effect

Question 9

What do agonists cause as recreational drugs?

Answer 9

Agonists stimulate many receptors, this causes the number of receptors to decrease, decreasing the sensitivity of the receptors.

Question 10

What is desensitisation?

Answer 10

Desensitisation is the process by which the number of receptors on a postsynaptic neuron will decrease in number and sensitivity due to overstimulation from agonists

Question 11

What can desensitisation lead to?

Answer 11

Desensitisation can lead to drug tolerance where an individual needs to take more of the drug to get an effect