Stimulant Effects

Question 1

all stimulant drugs have same effects. with one exception:

Answer 1

cocaine: it has local anaesthesia effect and vasoconstriction

Question 2

t/f: cocaine is considered a medical drug that can be used in surgery

Answer 2

true, can control bleeding

Question 3

what nervous system do all stimulants act upon?

Answer 3

the sympathetic nervous system

Question 4

what physiological symptoms are assoc. with the activation of the sympathetic nervous system?

Answer 4

fight or flight mode: ^ HR, ^ body temp, ^BP, ^ breathing, vasoconstriction, pupil dilation

Question 5

what is the result of combining alcohol and cocaine?

Answer 5

the breakdown of both in the body produces a metabolite called cocaethylene

Question 6

what effect does cocaethylene have on the body?

Answer 6

extends duration of cocaine and ^ BP and HR

Question 7

what is the ^ rate of death risk if alcohol and cocaine are consumed together?

Answer 7

25x

Question 8

which has higher euphoric effects? cocaine or cocaethylene

Answer 8

cocaethylene

Question 9

why do some use cocaine to self-medicate for depression?

Answer 9

the drug blocks the reuptake of dopamine

Question 10

what does psychomotor stimulant mean?

Answer 10

they increase motor behaviour

Question 11

what are the 3 psychomotor stimulants?

Answer 11

cocaine, amphetamine, methamphetamine

Question 12

how are behavioural effects measured in modern day?

Answer 12

with high technology

Question 13

what is the cost of using high technology to measure behavioural effects?

Answer 13

lose qualitative description of motor effects

Question 14

what are the five qualitative rating scale qualities?

Answer 14

hyperactive
slow patterned 
fast patterned 
in place, restricted
dyskinetic, convulsive

Question 15

what are stereotypies?

Answer 15

reptitive, ritualistic and nonfunctional behaviours

Question 16

what rating scale do stereotypies fall under?

Answer 16

the ‘in place, restricted’ observation

Question 17

what is the hyperactive phase?

Answer 17

^ in motor behaviour, running, jerking changes of position, NO pattern

Question 18

what is the slow patterned phase?

Answer 18

slower and pattern appears

Question 19

what is the fast patterned phase?

Answer 19

pace increases, pattern remains, but sudden stops and starts

Question 20

what is the in place restricted phase?

Answer 20

patterns alternate bt long times of staying in one place and doing repetitive movements

Question 21

what is the dyskinetic, convulsive phase?

Answer 21

jumping in place, going backwards, convulsions, death

Question 22

what causes the stimulant effects on drug users?

Answer 22

release and blocking reuptake of dopamine overall increases dopamine activity

Question 23

t/f: stimulants cannot treat illnesses like ADD

Answer 23

yes

Question 24

what % of children below age 7 have ADD?

Answer 24

5%

Question 25

what % of adults keep having ADD after childhood?

Answer 25

2.5% (half of children who have it)

Question 26

what are the 2 clusters of symptoms of ADD?

Answer 26

inability to focus, and hyperactivity/impulsiveness

Question 27

can ADD clusters work in conjunction or are they mutually exclusive?

Answer 27

they can have both in conjunction

Question 28

who diagnosed ADD in 1902 before it was even discovered?

Answer 28

Sir george frederick

Question 29

how was it discovered that stimulants can treat ADD?

Answer 29

accidentally -while doing spinal taps on ADD children to investigate symptoms, they got headaches after the procedure (normal). but the treatment for headaches (Benzedrine) ended up controlling the ADD problems as well

Question 30

what year were stimulants discovered to treat ADD?

Answer 30

1937

Question 31

what is the % that stimulants are effective in the treatment of ADD?

Answer 31

80% effective

Question 32

what kinds of stimulants are used to treat ADD?

Answer 32

methylphenidate, amphetamine, and methamphetamine

Question 33

do the patients abuse ADD meds?

Answer 33

no, but others use it for recreational use

Question 34

what demographic seeks ADD meds out for recreation use?

Answer 34

university students to work/study longer

Question 35

what is the % of uni students who use stims like adderall (amphetamine)?

Answer 35

10%

Question 36

what are the risk factors to being likely to use stims recreationally?

Answer 36

white, being in a frat, lower grades, substance abuse, or being in a competitive program

Question 37

what is the pattern seen in animal testing for stimulants?

Answer 37

rapid ^ of dose to the point of peak (convulsions, seizures, etc) and then period of no response bc of exhaustion, then repeat with high dose

Question 38

what does evidence about tolerance to stimulants show?

Answer 38

conflicting evidence!

Question 39

do stimulants have tolerance or reverse tolerance?

Answer 39

both??? many effects have reverse tolerance (aka get more potent as you go on) but some effects show tolerance

Question 40

what is the conclusion about stimulants effects and chronic administration?

Answer 40

rewarding effects of the stimulants intensify with chronic use

Question 41

what is one limitation to studying stimulants in the clinic?

Answer 41

'chronic use' in the clinic is spaced a day apart, whereas street use is often every 30 minutes : shorter intervals

Question 42

what happens if one takes stimulants at very short intervals?

Answer 42

acute depletion of dopamine

Question 43

what is acute depletion of dopamine?

Answer 43

neurons cant synthesize enough dopamine to keep up with release

Question 44

what is the result of acute depletion of dopamine?

Answer 44

the cocaine blues- happens within that session of use

Question 45

what stimulant effect clearly shows tolerance?

Answer 45

anorectic effect (reduced appetite)

Question 46

what are the conditions for the anorectic effect of stimulants to show tolerance?

Answer 46

constant presentation of the stimulant and food to starving animals

Question 47

what is the contingent tolerance procedure?

Answer 47

when all conditions (drug, food, and hungry rat) must be present for tolerance to develop

Question 48

what do these studies of tolerance say about adaption?

Answer 48

adaption forms if all conditions are constantly present, otherwise the situation would not trigger the tolerance development

Question 49

what is sensitization?

Answer 49

effect of a drug increases over repeated administrations

Question 50

do stimulants have more tolerance or sensitization development?

Answer 50

stimulants develop more sensitization

Question 51

what is the best display of sensitization in behavioural activating effects of stimulants?

Answer 51

one dose of a stim. rates low o the behavioural activation scale will progress to more intense behaviour if continuously administered.

Question 52

what shift in the dose response curve for stimulants?

Answer 52

shifts left on the dose response curve

Question 53

to get an increasing effect, do you have to increase dose amt or just frequency of dose?

Answer 53

just frequency of dose; sensitization= small doses begin acting like bigger doses as they build sensitization to the stimulant

Question 54

why is sensitization considered dangerous when it comes to drugs?

Answer 54

using it on a regular basis, produces stronger and dangerous effects (even lethal)

Question 55

what is the trade name of Methylphenidate?

Answer 55

Ritalin

Question 56

does sensitization occur to the behavioural effects of Ritalin?

Answer 56

yes, but only in animals as its more concentrated

Question 57

what does pavlovian conditioning have to do with sensitization to stimulants?

Answer 57

predrug cues elicit a drug-like response that might combine on the actual drug effect, leading to sensitization

Question 58

what was the result of experiements regarding conditioning and sensitization of stims?

Answer 58

animals tested with drug cues had a sensitized response, animals tested without drug cues acted like they were receiving it for the first time

Question 59

what did animals in placebo experiment conditioning/sensitization do?

Answer 59

animals expecting to get a stim from the cue but got a placebo had behavioural activation conditioned responses

Question 60

what is stimulant psychosis?

Answer 60

an episode of psychotic, schizo-like behaviour from stimulants

Question 61

what causes stimulant psychosis?

Answer 61

single admin. of high dose, but MOST LIKEly is binging (many doses after another) or regular chronic doses

Question 62

where was the first documented stimulant psychosis seen?

Answer 62

japan after ww2

Question 63

what are the characteristics of stimulant psychosis?

Answer 63

alternates between extreme emotion and blinted affect, hallucinations, paranoia

Question 64

what are speed/crank bugs?

Answer 64

the feeling of insects crawling under their skin, will pick at the skin

Question 65

what is formication syndrome?

Answer 65

tactile hallucination, the feeling of having bugs under the skin

Question 66

what did freud call formication syndrome?

Answer 66

white snakes under the skin

Question 67

what disorder does stimulant psychosis induce in users?

Answer 67

OCD behaviours, equal to the stereotypies in the behaviour rating scale in clinical studies

Question 68

t/f: ppl with preexisting psychotic tendencies are more likely to develop stimulant psychosis

Answer 68

true

Question 69

what activity in the brain does stimulants increase?

Answer 69

increases dopamine activity

Question 70

what is stimulant use disorder (DSMV)

Answer 70

stim dependence is harmful to health, family and social life

Question 71

is withdrawal syndrome required for DSM V to diagnose stimulant withdrawal syndrome?

Answer 71

no, not req. for a diagnosis

Question 72

do stimulants produce withdrawal symptoms?

Answer 72

debated, but regardless it makes ppl have problems if abused

Question 73

what is drug craving?

Answer 73

urges to take the drug, bc of withdrawal symptoms or wanting to experience it again, obsessive thinking about the drug, and anxiety surrounding the topic

Question 74

what other aspect of drug abuse is related to craving?

Answer 74

relapse

Question 75

what are drug cravings triggered by?

Answer 75

stimuli that were prev. assoc. with taking the drug/experiencing drug effects

Question 76

how does an abstinent drug user respond to being shown the trigger stimuli?

Answer 76

experience cravings, withdrawal symptoms, and strong desire to get the drug

Question 77

what did PET scan studies show about stimulant user brain activity when reacting to triggers?

Answer 77

brain functioning changed when exposed to stimulant related triggers

Question 78

what drug are majority of stimulant studies done with?

Answer 78

cocaine, some methamphetamine