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Neuropharmacology > Substance Abuse and Drug Addiction > Flashcards

Substance Abuse and Drug Addiction Flashcards

1
Q

What do drugs of abuse increase?

A

extracellular concentration of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens

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2
Q

What acts on the ventral tegmental area (VTA)?

A

drugs and behaviours such as eating, sex and social interaction

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3
Q

What does the VTA do?

A

produce dopamine and send it to the nucleus accumbens and the prefrontal cortex

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4
Q

What is the nucleus accumbens?

A

the pleasure centre of the brain that leads to rewarding feelings

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5
Q

What is the prefrontal cortex?

A

part of the brain responsible for emotions, learning and impulse control that helps the individual learn and repeat behaviours that lead to rewarding feelings

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6
Q

What is experimental evidence for reward circuit involvement of dopamine?

A
  • rats trained to press lever for electrical stimulation to certain brain regions
  • when electrode placed in reward circuit (e.g. VTA or NAcc), rat keeps pressing lever because of pleasure elicited by dopamine release
  • effect lost if electrode is placed outside reward circuit or if dopamine release is blocked
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7
Q

What is a drug?

A

a substance which has a physiological effect when ingested or otherwise introduced into the body

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8
Q

What is a drug of abuse?

A

a drug that has no medical function or is taken at doses higher than would be required for therapy or homeostasis

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9
Q

What do all drugs of abuse result in?

A

significant toxicities both with short and long-term use

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10
Q

What is drug addiction?

A

a state characterised by compulsive use of a substance resulting in physical, psychological or social harm to the user and continued use in spite of the harm

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11
Q

What is tolerance?

A

diminished psychoactive effects of a drug after repeat use

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12
Q

How does tolerance feed addiction?

A

users take increasing amounts of a drug to get the desired effect

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13
Q

What is drug dependence?

A

an adaptive state that develops from repeated drug use and results in withdrawal symptoms upon cessation of drug use

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14
Q

What does psychological dependence appear as?

A

a craving for the drug; may not cause physical harm but can lead to drug-seeking behaviour

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15
Q

What is withdrawal?

A

when an individual becomes physically dependent on a drug and their bodies become less capable of functioning normally without it

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16
Q

What are withdrawal effects often?

A

opposite to the effects of the drug itself

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17
Q

Give examples of withdrawal symptoms

A
  • feelings of fatigue and depression in cocaine withdrawal
  • aches and pains with opioid withdrawal
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18
Q

What does artificial dopamine flooding do?

A

bypass normal controls which leads to a stronger and more prolonged activation of dopamine receptors

19
Q

What can excessive stimulation of dopamine receptors do?

A

alter the brain’s reward system, reducing sensitivity to natural rewards and increasing the desire for repeated exposure to the triggering substance or behaviour, which can contribute to addiction

20
Q

What are the 6 main types of drugs of abuse?

A
  • stimulants e.g. cocaine, amphetamines
  • depressants e.g. alcohol, barbiturates
  • hallucinogens e.g. LSD, MDMA
  • narcotics (opiates) e.g. opium, heroin
  • cannabionols e.g. marijuana
  • inhalants e.g. glue
21
Q

What are acute effects of cocaine?

A
  • intense feelings of euphoria within 3-5 mins
  • increased alertness, elation and energy
  • increased sexuality
22
Q

How does cocaine act?

A

by blocking the reuptake of neurotransmitters like dopamine, noradrenaline, and serotonin in the brain which enhances their signalling and prolongs their effects

23
Q

What are the local anaesthetic properties of cocaine?

A

it blocks sodium channels which prevents nerve conduction and causes a numbing sensation in the applied area

24
Q

What is the half life of cocaine and amphetamine respectively?

A
  • cocaine - 50-90mins
  • amphetamine - 5-10hrs
25
Q

What are acute effects of amphetamine?

A

diminished fatigue, increased alertness and reduced appetite

26
Q

What is the time of onset of amphetamine?

A
  • injected - immediate
  • inhaled - <5 mins
  • ingested - >20 mins
27
Q

What are other forms of amphetamine?

A
  • methamphetamine – can cause the feeling of euphoria and so has a high risk of dependence
  • MDMA – can increase energy and sociability and alter perception of facilitated communication
28
Q

What can amphetamine be used to treat and how?

A
  • asthma – bronchodilation
  • ADHD – increases attention and focus
  • narcolepsy – increases attention, focus and wakefulness
  • obesity – dopamine and noradrenaline regulate appetite and food intake; adrenaline suppresses appetite
29
Q

What is the mechanism of action of amphetamine?

A

it blocks dopamine uptake by inhibiting MAOs which enhances release of dopamine from nerve terminals and vesicles

30
Q

What is amphetamine a substrate of?

A

dopamine transporter (chemical similar to the natural neurotransmitters dopamine and noradrenaline)

31
Q

What does amphetamine do once inside the cell?

A

it interferes with the vesicular monoamine transporter (VMAT) and impedes the filling of synaptic vesicles, so vesicles are depleted and cytoplasmic dopamine increases

32
Q

What are narcotics?

A

pain-relieving drugs with strong addictive properties

33
Q

What are the 3 types of narcotics?

A
  • natural e.g. opium, morphine, codeine
  • semi-synthetic e.g. herion
  • synthetic e.g. methadone, fentanyl
34
Q

What are acute effects of opiates?

A

pain relief, euphoria, sedation, relief of anxiety and depression of cough reflex

35
Q

What are withdrawal effects of opiates?

A

dilated pupils, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and yawning

36
Q

What is the mechanism of action of opiates?

A

they bind to the opioid receptor on the GABA-producing interneurons resulting in the inhibition of GABA release and an increase in dopamine release

37
Q

What are medicinal therapeutics of marijuana?

A

increased appetite, attenuation of nausea, decreased intraocular pressure and relief of chronic pain

38
Q

What is the active ingredient in marijuana?

A

delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)

39
Q

What is hashish/hash?

A

more potent than marijuana with similar effects also derived from the resin of the female plant

40
Q

What is the onset time of marijuana?

A

5-10 mins to last for 1-4hrs

41
Q

What are acute effects of marijuana?

A
  • feeling high or pleasant sensation
  • loss of coordination
  • memory, judgment, and perception impairment
42
Q

How does THC act?

A

it mimics an endogenous cannabinol called anandamide which binds to cannabinoid CB1 receptor to inhibit the release of GABA which allows increased binding of neurotransmitters to their receptors

43
Q

What is the reward circuit made up of?

A

VTA, nucleus accumbens and prefrontal cortex

Neuropharmacology (12 decks)

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