Rest of Drugs and behaviour section Flashcards
What is the synapse cleft?
The space between the axon of a neuron and the dendrite of the other neuron during chemical transmission.
What causes the release of neurotransmitters at the axon ending?
The action potential.
What do neurotransmitters sit inside, in the axon?
Vessels
What do neurotransmitters do to the receptor sites of dentrites?
They open an Ion channel (allow ions to enter the neuron from the synapse)
What produces the Post-Synaptic potential in the neuron during chemical transmisision?
The balance of ions inside and outside the neuron.
What can post-synaptic potentials lead to in a neuron?
The firing of a new impulse
Once neurotransmitters have opened the ion channels during chemical transmission, what happens to them?
They are released to the synapse cleft where they are either re-taken by the previous neuron or broken down into inactive chemicals and excreted by the body.
Is chemical transmission across the synapse an easy or complicated process?
Very complicated process with many hundred of these processes occurring often
What are excitatory PSPs?
an excitatory postsynaptic potential is a postsynaptic potential that makes the postsynaptic neuron more likely to fire an action potential.
What are Inhibitory PSPs?
An inhibitory postsynaptic potential is a kind of synaptic potential that makes a postsynaptic neuron less likely to generate an action potential.
True or False? Some neurotransmitters can be both exciatory and inhibitory PSPs.
True
What is a good definition of a drug?
Any exogenous chemical agent (not produced by the body, comes from outside) that has an effect on living protoplasm. These are taken for reasons other than for food and water intake therefore are taken for either medical or recreation purposes.
Can drugs be in our food and drinks?
Yes, common examples include alcohol in wine, and caffeine in coffee.
True or False? The definition of a drug depends on the circumstance.
True and false. The definition of a drug depends on both the circumstance and the intent.
What is the most important factor when defining a drug?
What is the intent.
What are psychoactive/psychotropic drugs?
A psychoactive drug, psychopharmaceutical, or psychotropic drug is a chemical substance that changes brain function and results in alterations in perception, mood, consciousness, cognition, or behavior.
What is behavioural pharmacology?
The development of drugs for clinical use and build understanding of how brain functions enable cognition and behaviour.
What is psychopharmacology?
Psychopharmacology is the study of medications used to treat mental disorders affecting mood, attention, behavior, and thought processes.
What is the difference between behavioural pharmacology and psychopharmacology?
The extent to which changes in the brain processes are studied following drug admission. Behavioural pharmacology are more likely to make a reference to what is likely to be going on and Psychopharmacology is more likely to directly measure changes and make accurate investigations to what is going on.
What are the 3 reasons psychologists study drugs and behaviour?
- They help with understanding and relieving the strain of mental disorders. 2. To understand why some drugs are used recreationally and the associated risks. 3. To understand behaviour using drugs as tools.
True or False? Drugs Cure
False
What do drugs do for mental disorders?
They help relieve symptoms by correcting some brain chemical imbalances, thus allowing for other treatments such as CBT to be applied.
Can drugs and treatments cure serious diseases such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia?
No, they can only control the symptoms of these serious diseases.
What is the psychological research on recreation drug usage often aimed at?
Identifying possible risks associated with this drug taking such as impacts to fetus development and the human brain.
How can drugs be used as psychological tools?
Drugs can be used for modifying behaviour and brain functioning to understand underlying mechanisms.
What is scopolamine?
a medication used to treat motion sickness and postoperative nausea and vomiting. It is also sometimes used before surgery to decrease saliva. When used by injection, effects begin after about 20 minutes and last for up to 8 hours.
What is the hippocampus?
The structure involved in memorising and converting short term memory into long term memory.
Where is the hippocampus located in the brain?
Its located in the middle quite deep inside the brain.
What are association areas of the brain?
parts of the cerebral cortex that receive inputs from multiple areas; association areas integrate incoming sensory information, and also form connections between sensory and motor areas.
What is acetylcholine (ACh)?
Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter, which is a chemical released by a nerve cell or neuron. … Acetylcholine causes muscles to contract, activates pain responses and regulates endocrine and REM sleep functions.
What is dopamine (DA)?
Dopamine is one of the “feel good” chemicals in our brain. Interacting with the pleasure and reward center of our brain, dopamine plays a vital role in how happy we feel. In addition to our mood, dopamine also affects movement, memory, and focus.
What is noradrenaline (NA) / norepinephrine (NE)?
Noradrenaline normally produces effects such as increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, widening of pupils, widening of air passages in the lungs and narrowing of blood vessels in non-essential organs. … Noradrenaline works by stimulating receptors called adrenoceptors, which are found all over the body
What is serotonin (5-HT)?
Serotonin is a chemical that has a wide variety of functions in the human body. It is sometimes called the happy chemical, because it contributes to wellbeing and happiness. The scientific name for serotonin is 5-hydroxytryptamine, or 5-HT. It is mainly found in the brain, bowels, and blood platelets.
True or False? Most drug effects are via influences on neurotransmitters.
True
What can drugs inhibit and stimulate?
Neurotransmitters in neurons.
What does the drug ‘prosac’ do to the neurons in the human body?
It prevents the re-uptake of neurotransmitters in the synapse cleft.
What can drugs do to the neurotransmitters that are not retaken by the previous neuron?
They can prevent the breakdown of these neurotransmitters through inactivation of the chemicals response.
What can drugs do to post-synaptic neuron receptors?
They can occupy these receptors and prevent the action of neurotransmitters therefore no PSPs can be initiated.
How are psychotropic drugs classified?
In two general classes. 1. Central nervous system stimulants, and 2. Central nervous system Depressants.
What are psychomotor stimulants?
They stimulate/arouse the brain.
Are psychomotor stimulant drugs used more medically or recreationally?
Recreationally, the only real medical purpose for these drugs is for those with ADHD.
Why is the stimulant drug “ritalin” used to treat ADHD, which is a hyperactive disorder?
Because scientists think that those with ADHD actually have low levels of brain arousal and are hyperactive because they search to fix this chemical imbalance in the brain.
What are some examples of how psychomotor stimulants are used recreationally?
Cocaine, Meth
What are antidepressants?
Antidepressants are medications used to treat major depressive disorder, some anxiety disorders, some chronic pain conditions, and to help manage some addictions.
What are the 3 main groups of antidepressants that are used clinically?
- Tricyclic AD (Elevates noradrenaline
- Serotonin ADs.
- Nor-adrenaline serotonin re-uptake inhibitors.
Tricyclic AD is an antidepressant that is found to be less efficient that other antidepressants although is still widely prescribed, why?
Due to the views and opinions of doctors.
What are the subsections that CNS depressant drugs can be divided into?
Narcotic analgesics, hypnosedatives, antipsychotic agents, and anti-anxiety agents
What are narcotic analgesics?
They are used for relieving pain but are widely abused for their effects.
What are the narcotic analgesics drugs that are regularly abused?
Morphine, pethidine, Noreen, and methadone.
What do narcotic analgesics exert their effects in humans?
By acting on brain opioid receptors that are associated with the brains reward and pleasure system.
What are hypnosedative drugs?
They are general depressants which effect all parts of the brain.
What are 2 examples of hyponosedatives?
Alcohol and barbiturates.
What are barbiturates?
Barbiturates are a class of drugs that were used extensively in the 1960s and 1970s as a treatment for anxiety, insomnia, and seizure disorders. They reduce the activity of nerves causing muscle relaxation.
What do hypnosedatives to to the body?
They sedate at low doses and induce sleep at higher doses and kill at high doses.
What is pentothal?
Pentothal is a barbiturate used to help patients relax before receiving general anaesthesia with an inhaled medication.
What is paraldehyde?
Paraldehyde is used to treat certain convulsive disorders. It also has been used in the treatment of alcoholism and in the treatment of nervous and mental conditions to calm or relax patients who are nervous or tense and to produce sleep.
What are anti psychotic agents?
They are more specific depressants used to manage psychosis, principally in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Antipsychotics are usually effective in relieving symptoms of psychosis in the short term.
What is chlorpromazine?
Chlorpromazine is a phenothiazine that is used to treat psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia or manic-depression in adults. Chlorpromazine is also used in adults to treat nausea and vomiting, anxiety before surgery, chronic hiccups, acute intermittent porphyria, and symptoms of tetanus
What are phenothiazines?
Phenothiazine antipsychotics are a type of antipsychotic. Phenothiazine antipsychotics are thought to work by blocking the action of dopamine in the brain; however, their exact mechanism of action is unknown
What are butyrophenones?
any of a class of antipsychotic drugs used especially in the treatment of schizophrenia
What are the side effects of chlorpromazine?
dizziness, drowsiness, anxiety, sleep problems (insomnia), breast swelling or discharge, changes in menstrual periods, weight gain, swelling in hands or feet,
What are the two main groups on anti-psychotic agents?
- Phenothiazines, 2. Butyrophenones
What is olanzapine?
is newer form of an antipsychotic primarily used to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. For schizophrenia, it can be used for both new onset disease and long term maintenance. It is taken by mouth or by injection into a muscle.
What happened 4 years after the discovery of chlorpromazine?
America for the first time had more patient discharged than admission in their psychiatric hospitals.
What are anti-anxiety agents?
Selective sedatives of the parts of the brain associated with anxiety.
What are anxiolytics?
An anxiolytic is a medication, or other intervention, that inhibits anxiety. (Decreases anxiety)
What are tranquillizers?
A tranquilliser refers to a drug which is designed for the treatment of anxiety, fear, tension, agitation, and disturbances of the mind, specifically to reduce states of anxiety and tension.
What are benzodiazepines?
Benzodiazepines (also called “benzos”) are a class of agents that work in the central nervous system and are used for a variety of medical conditions. They act on specific receptors in the brain, called gamma-aminobutyric acid-A (GABA-A) receptors.
What are the most widely prescribed drugs?
Benzodiazepines
What is chlordiazepoxide (Librium)?
a sedative and hypnotic medication of the benzodiazepine class; it is used to treat anxiety, insomnia and symptoms of withdrawal from alcohol and other drugs
What is diazepam (Valium)?
Diazepam, first marketed as Valium, is a medicine of the benzodiazepine family that typically produces a calming effect.
What is lorazepam?
belongs to a class of drugs known as benzodiazepines This drug works by enhancing the effects of a certain natural chemical in the body (GABA).