Test 1 - Biology of Drug Use

Question 1

What are the ways drugs enter the body?

Answer 1

intravenous, intramuscular, subcutaneous, inhalation (breathing smoke or vapour), absorption through skin

Question 2

Describe the oral route of drugs into the body

Answer 2

How: by swallowing or consuming (eating or drinking) and entering circulation via the
gastrointestinal system.

Speed of effect: 15 to 30 minutes.

Advantages: slow absorption time, the possibility of rejection of overdoses and poison (by vomiting).

Disadvantages: slow absorption time and no immediate effect.

Examples: alcohol, medication in pill form, PCP, opium, methadone, codeine, and caffeine

Question 3

Describe the Intravenous Injection route of drugs into the body

Answer 3

How: by needle into a vein.

Speed of effect: less than 20 seconds.

Advantages: very fast absorption time and immediate effects.

Disadvantages: cannot be reversed/undone and risk of allergic reactions.

Examples: PCP, methamphetamine, heroin, methadone, morphine.

Question 4

Describe the Intramuscular Injection route of drugs into the body

Answer 4

How: by needle into a large muscle, via our capillaries, into our bloodstream.

Speed of effect: it depends on the muscle but is slightly slower than intravenous
injection.

Advantages: quicker to administer than intravenous injection (1) some drugs are
irritating to veins and/or (2) because a suitable vein cannot be located.

Disadvantages: slightly slower absorption time than intravenous injection

Examples: vaccines.

Note: intramuscular is faster than subcutaneous because muscle tissue has a greater blood supply than the tissue just under the skin.

Question 5

Describe Subcutaneous Injection

Answer 5

How: by needle underneath the skin.

Speed of effect: slowest of the injection methods; only a small amount can be used.

Advantages: easiest of all injection methods.

Disadvantages: slower absorption time than intravenous injection and could cause skin
irritation and deterioration.

Examples: heroin and other narcotics.

Question 6

Describe Inhalation (breathing) - drug method

Answer 6

How: by burning the drug and breathing the smoke particles via mouth or nose. The drug
enters circulation via the lungs.

Speed of effect: extremely fast. The reason the effect is so fast is that the alveoli within the
lungs can be imagined as a huge surface area with blood vessels lying right behind it. Thus,
much of the drug enters the system quickly.

Advantages: extremely fast absorption time.

Disadvantages: effects limited to the time during which the drug is inhaled, risk of breathing
diseases, lung cancer, as well as lung and throat irritation over time or chronic use.

Examples: heroin, cigarettes, crack cocaine.

Question 7

Describe Vaporous Inhalation - drug method into the body

Answer 7

How: breathing the vapours from the drug.
Speed of effect: extremely fast (see above for details).

Advantages: extremely fast absorption time.
Disadvantages: same as above.

Examples: cleaning fluid, gasoline, paint thinners, and surgical/dental anesthetics.

Question 8

Absorption (through the skin of membranes)

Answer 8

How: placing the drug against the skin, inserting rectal/vaginal membrane, snorting (membranes of nose), under the tongue or against the cheek.

Speed: in general, it is slightly quicker than oral.

Advantages: quick absorption time.

Disadvantages: skin irritation.

Examples: cocaine, amphetamine, methamphetamine, nicotine patches, gum, naltrexone (opioid antagonist), transdermal patches, snuff tobacco, and coca leaves.

Question 9

What are the four main factors determining the behavioural impact of drugs

Answer 9

Timing (method of use), drug interactions, cross-tolerance and dependence, and individual differences

Question 10

What is the nervous system - describe how it works in simple terms

Answer 10

the nervous system (1) takes in information from the environment and (2) controls how we react to the information. It can do this automatically (autonomic) or
consciously (somatic).

Question 11

Examples of autonomic vs. somatic systems?

Answer 11

Lifting your arm or snapping your fingers would be somatic. For somatic, it has to be
something you control.

For autonomic, that would be regular heartbeat/blood pressure, liver and blinking.

That said, if you open your eyes wide and try not to blink, that would be using your somatic system.

Question 12

Examples of the parasympathetic nervous system?

Answer 12

sleep, rest, and digestion

Question 13

How does the nervous system relate to drug taking?

Answer 13

complicated and depends on the drug(s), method of intake, factors determining
behaviour impact, individual factors and more

Some drugs can activate autonomic changes
in our internal organs (for example, heart rate increases with cocaine)

Any drug that slows down the body (like a depressant) would activate the parasympathetic nervous system.

A drug that wants to stimulate the body (like a stimulant) would activate the sympathetic nervous system.

Question 14

Explain the job of the hindbrain

Answer 14

basic life support - least evolved of the brain sections

Question 15

Explain the job of the forebrain

Answer 15

higher-order thinking and emotions - most evolved of the brain sections

Question 16

What are the main parts of the hindbrain and their jobs?

Answer 16

Reticular formation: involved with alertness.

Medulla oblongata: involved with basic life support (heart rate, breathing, etc.).

Cerebellum: involved with balance and movement

Question 17

what are the main parts of the forebrain and their jobs?

Answer 17

Thalamus: involved with the regulation of movement and relays sensory information (not olfactory) to other parts of the brain.

Hippocampus: involved with memory.

Amygdala: involved with emotions.

Hypothalamus: involved with hormones and homeostasis.

Question 18

What is the limbic system?

Answer 18

part of the forebrain

Involved in our behavioural and emotional
responses and is found deep within the brain, underneath the cerebral cortex and above the
brainstem.

It includes the Hippocampus, Amygdala, and
Hypothalamus

Many drugs affect the emotional and memory parts of our brains.

Question 19

How do drugs affect the neurotransmitters in our brain?

Answer 19

2 ways - agonist (increasing the amount of neurotransmitter firing) or antagonist
(decreasing the amount of neurotransmitter firing).

Question 20

What do agonist drugs do to the body?

Answer 20

create more neurotransmitters, stimulate receptors, and block reuptake valve

Question 21

What is the outcome of agonist drugs creating more neurotransmitters?

Answer 21

More NTs are sent into the synapse by the
sending neuron.

Therefore, more can be absorbed by receivers

Thus, you feel more (of whatever the NT is trying to accomplish

Question 22

What is the outcome of agonist drugs stimulating receptors?

Answer 22

Drug reprograms receptor sites to absorb more
neurotransmitters than usual

Thus, you feel more (of whatever the NT is trying to accomplish

Question 23

What is the outcome of agonist drugs blocking the reuptake valve?

Answer 23

Due to the drug blocking the reuptake valve, the
neurotransmitters are stuck in the synapse

Ergo, more neurotransmitters can be absorbed by the receivers

Thus, you feel more (of whatever the NT is trying to accomplish)

Question 24

What do antagonist drugs do to the body?

Answer 24

they produce less neurotransmitters and block receivers

Question 25

What is the outcome of antagonist drugs producing less neurotransmitters?

Answer 25

Drug creates less or inhibit production of NTs

Ergo, fewer NTs are sent into the synapse and less can be absorbed by the receivers

Thus, you feel less (of whatever the NT is trying
to accomplish)

Question 26

What is the outcome of antagonist drugs blocking receivers?

Answer 26

NTs cannot be absorbed by receivers

Eventually, NTs return to sender via reuptake
valve

Thus, we feel less (of whatever the NT is trying to accomplish)

Question 27

What is a neurotransmitter?

Answer 27

chemical messengers that your body can’t function without. Their job is to carry chemical signals (“messages”) from one neuron (nerve cell) to the next target cell. The next target cell can be another nerve cell, a muscle cell or a gland.

Question 28

What type of neurotransmitter is Acetylcholine? What type is it and what is it involved with?

Answer 28

Type: Excitatory

Involved With: Spinal cord - controls muscles
Memory

Examples of Drug Link: Poison - Some poisons like “curare” can result in becoming paralyzed
as it blocks the nicotinic (pronounced “nico-teen-ic”) acetylcholine receptor.

Question 29

What type of neurotransmitter is Dopamine? What type is it and what is it involved with?

Answer 29

Type: Inhibitory

Involved with: Pleasure and Motor Control

Examples of Drug Link: Cocaine - When taking cocaine (or crack cocaine), dopamine increases.
Think about anyone you have seen on cocaine or movies like “Scarface”, in which the main character does a lot of cocaine.

Users tend to be euphoric/have high amounts of pleasure and have bodily twitches (or motor control challenges).

Question 30

What type of neurotransmitter is GABA? What type is it and what is it involved with?

Answer 30

Type: Inhibitory

Involved with: Tranquilizer and Stress Relief

Examples of Drug Link: Seizures - GABA tends to inhibit brain functions, so medication that
increases GABA receptors are given to treat epileptic patients.

Question 31

What type of neurotransmitter is Glutamate ? What type is it and what is it involved with?

Answer 31

Type: Excitatory

Involved with: Mediator of excitatory signals, Cognition, memory and learning.

Examples of Drug Link: Many ADHD medications use glutamate as it helps
with thinking (cognition), memory, and learning or, staying focused.

Question 32

What type of neurotransmitter is Norepinephrine? What type is it and what is it involved with?

Answer 32

Type: Excitatory

Involved with: Fight or flight

Examples of Drug Link: think horror movies, used to increase and maintain blood pressure in limited, short-term serious health situations, think of adrenaline (adrenal gland). Cocaine is listed as a norepinephrine drug

Question 33

What type of neurotransmitter is Serotonin? What type is it and what is it involved with?

Answer 33

Type: Inhibitory

Involved with: Mood, appetite, sensory perception

Examples of Drug Link: Anti-depressants

Many antidepressants increase the amount of serotonin. Why? It increases mood, perception of sensory information, and appetite (as many who have depression tend to eat less)