The Compass of Pleasure 3

Question 1

dopamine receptors

Answer 1

proteins on a neuron’s boundary that receive dopamine.

“Cocaine and amphetamines block this reuptake process, causing dopamine to linger in the cleft and thereby activate dopamine receptors more effectively.”

Question 2

2 ways in which drugs work

Answer 2

1. imitate a neurotransmitter

2. overstimulate or inhibit reabsorption

Question 3

Methamphetamine and other amphetamines (how they stimulate)

Answer 3

do not imitate neurotransmitters, but instead interrupts the reabsorption of dopamine and another important excitatory chemical norepinephrine.

Question 4

dopamine

Answer 4

In the brain, dopamine functions as a neurotransmitter. The brain includes several distinct dopamine pathways, one of which plays a major role in reward-motivated behavior

It’s released whenever our brain believes we should take strong note of our current behavior. To remember it.

ex. increases with, eating, sex, or when a bull moose is charging us - “pay attention!”

Question 5

serotonin

Answer 5

an inhibitory neurotransmitter – which means that it does not stimulate the brain. Adequate amounts of serotonin are necessary for a stable mood and to balance any excessive excitatory (stimulating) neurotransmitter firing in the brain.

Question 6

norepinephrine

Answer 6

excitatory makes the user feel energy.

Question 7

endorphin

Answer 7

excitatory neurotransmitter increases with exercise and stress.

Question 8

opium

Answer 8

a reddish-brown heavy-scented addictive drug prepared from the juice of the opium poppy, used as a narcotic and in medicine as an analgesic.

“Evidence from the archeological record places it in Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq) around 3,000 BC. Opium was widely consumed-either by being eaten, dissolved in wine, or inserted in the rectum-for both medical and ritual purposes by the ancient Egyptians and by the Greeks soon thereafter.” (29)

Question 9

analgesic

Answer 9

acting to relieve pain.

Question 10

alimentary canal

Answer 10

the whole passage along which food passes through the body from mouth to anus. It includes the esophagus, stomach, and intestines.

Ether use - “Severe burns at either end of the alimentary canal were a common hazard.” (33)

Question 11

ether

Answer 11

a pleasant-smelling, colorless, volatile liquid that is highly flammable. It is used as an anesthetic and as a solvent or intermediate in industrial processes.

“Ether is highly volatile liquid that may be produced by mixing sulfuric acid with alcohol, as discovered by the German chemist Valerius cheap, quick, and no hangover afterward? No wonder ether was so popular.” (32)

Question 12

stimulant

Answer 12

drug that excites any bodily function, but more specifically those that stimulate the brain and central nervous system. Stimulants induce alertness, elevated mood, wakefulness, increased speech and motor activity and decrease appetite.

“The stimulants which comprise a wide range of compounds that increase wakefulness and generally up-regulate mental function, include cocaine, khat, amphetamines (including Adderall and Ritalin,) and caffeine. Stimulants generally have positive effects on mood, but can sometimes cause anxiety and agitation.”

Question 13

sedatives

Answer 13

sedative that depresses activity of the central nervous system and reduces anxiety and induces sleep.

“Sedatives, of course, produce the opposite effects: They are calming and sleep-inducing, and cause discoordination and slow reaction times.

Question 14

hallucinogens

Answer 14

profound distortions in a person’s perceptions of reality). Under the influence of hallucinogens, people see images, hear sounds, and feel sensations that seem real but do not exist. Some hallucinogens also produce rapid, intense emotional swings.

“The hallucinogens (substances like LSD, mescaline, PCP, ketamine, and ayahuasca) have as their primary action the disruption of perception-distorting vision, hearing, and other senses.” (40)

Question 15

opiates

Answer 15

“opiates (including plant-derived compounds like opium, morphine, and heroin as well as synthetic opiates like OxyContin and fentanyl) are sedatives, but ones that deserve their own category because they produce a unique and potent euphoria (and capactiy for pain relief), effects that are not shared by other sedatives with a different chemical action.”

Question 16

neruotransmitter

Answer 16

a chemical released by neurons (nerve cells) to send signals to other nerve cells.

Question 17

inhibitory

Answer 17

a neurotransmitter that balances mood.

Question 18

excitatory

Answer 18

a neurotransmitter that stimulates the brain.

Question 19

neurons

Answer 19

The interconnected cells that are a large part of the nervous system.

Question 20

dendrites

Answer 20

spiky projections through which a neuron receives signals from other neurons

Question 21

cell body (neuron)

Answer 21

beyond the dentrites

Question 22

Positive ions along both sides of a neurons cell membrane

Answer 22

sodium and potassium

Question 23

Of the two ions (sodium and potassium) predominates on the inside of a neuron

Answer 23

sodium because potassium can leak out more easily.

Question 24

the resting charge of a neuron

Answer 24

Its inside is negatively charged with respect to the outside because of potassium leaking out. It attempts to stabilize this by cotinualy ejecting sodium ions and bringing back potassium, but it can’t eliminate the imbalance.

Question 25

opioid receptor

Answer 25

Any of various cell membrane receptors that can bind with morphine and other opiates; concentrations of such receptors are especially high in regions of the brain having pain-related functions.

Question 26

receptor

Answer 26

a region of tissue, or a molecule in a cell membrane, which responds specifically to a particular neurotransmitter, hormone, antigen, or other substance.

Question 27

neurotransmitter

Answer 27

“The bulbous tip at the end of neuron number one’s axon contains membrane-enclosed sacs filled with neurotransmitter molecules. Arrival of a signal causes the sacs the sacs to fuse with the neuron membrane, open, and release neurotransmitter molecules into the gap. These molecules rapidly reach a dendrite of neuron number two and bind to its receptors.
Channels in the dendrite membrane open, allowing ions to enter and upset the normal electrical charge. This in turn stimulates the axon of nuron number two to send its own signal speeding along to the next synapse.” (153)

Question 28

synapse

Answer 28

The junction between two neurons

“At a synapse, on neuron communicates with another but they do not actually touch. Though the gap separating them is extremely small, it is wide enough to stop the signal in its tracks.” (153)