UNIT 3 Flashcards
What is the Nervous system responsible for
Control and communication
What does the nervous system consists of?
brain, spinal cord, sensory organs, and all nerves within the body
What does the nervous system control?
bodily functions, both voluntary and involuntary
Two main systems of the nervous system
Central Nervous System
Peripheral Nervous System
What does the CNS consist of
brain and spinal cord
What does the PNS consist of
all the nerve fibres outside of the CNS
What are neurons
functional unit of the brain and are capable of generating and transmitting electrical signals
What are dendrites
Projections of a neuron that receive signals from other neurons
what are myelin sheath
Fatty substance that surrounds nerve cells. Myelin forms a sheath around the axon of the neuron, providing a layer of insulation and increasing the rate of transmission along the axon
what is an axon
Slender projection of a neuron that conducts electrical impulses away from the cell body and towards the next cell in the pathway. These electrical impulses are known as action potentials
What is a synapse (neuronal junction)
area that the electrical impulse is transferred from one neuron to the dendrites of a second neuron
lobes of the brain
Frontal
Parietal
Temporal
Occipital
What is the frontal lobe responsible for?
higher level cognitive functions and control of voluntary movement - planning, goal-directed behaviour, decision-making, complex problem-solving, cognitive control
What is the parietal lobe responsible for?
Processes information about temperature, taste, touch, and movement
What is the temporal lobe responsible for?
processes memories, integrating them with sensations of taste, sound, sight, and touch
What is the occipital lobe responsible for?
Vision
What is the most important brain area that undergoes major development in early adulthood?
Front portion of the frontal lobe
What covers the four lobes of the brain
Grey and white matter
White matter
Mostly found under the cortex and within the cerebrum. It contains myelinated axons
Grey matter
Mostly found within the cortex of the brain. It contains neuronal cell bodies and synapses
When does brain development peak and why?
Early to middle adulthood. - The amount of grey matter in the brain decreases with age and the amount of white matter increases
Why does grey matter decrease and white matter increase?
White matter volume increases by 1% annually during adolesce
- Myelination
- Axon growth
What happens to the brain during early adulthood
brain undergoes a period of accelerated growth marked by key changes
Stages of accelerated growth of the brain
- increased synaptic pruning
- Increased myelination
- improved connectivity
What is increased synaptic pruning
the process where extra neurons and synaptic connections are eliminated in order to increase the efficiency of neuronal transmission
What is increased myelination
Humans are born with little to no myelin in the CNS. Myelination occurs throughout childhood and into the period of accelerated growth seen during the late teens and early twenties
What is increased connectivity
Between different brain regions results in larger and more widely distributed neuronal networks, which is critical for a variety of higher level functions such as learning new complex information, integrating new learning, and applying it
What is substance use
The use of a psychoactive substance. This can include substances such as caffeine, alcohol, cannabis and other illicit drugs
What is substance misuse
The use of psychoactive substance In a way that causes and/or elevates the risk of reduced well-being and poor mental health. Examples: Regular or excess use, or use when one should be in class, studying or working, use of medication for purposes other than prescribes, using a medication in a higher dose or frequency, binge drinking or drinking a lot in short periods
What is substance use disorder
Clinically significant abuse or dependency which includes psychological and physiological aspects of an addiction
What happens during the critical period of brain development
brain is especially susceptible to toxins such as excessive alcohol and drug misuse.
What happens to the brain when substance abuse is present during the developmental period
structural and functional changes in the brain
Consequences of substance misuse
Mental health
Cognition (alterations)
Attention
Learning
Motivation
When does WHO indicate that most substance misuse and use disorders arise
After starting uni
What is the most commonly misused substance?
Alcohol
What is alcohol and how does it affect us
primarily on the CNS and functions as a depressant, meaning that it slows down neural processes and communication.
What does alcohol lead to
causing disinhibition of normal behaviour - disruptions in normal decision-making, slowing of thinking and responding, and trouble with motor coordination
Definition of binge drinking
Consumption of an excess of alcohol at one point in time
What it binge drinking
Drinking 4 or more drinks for females and five or more drinks for males at a single social outing
What is binge drinking associated with
negative outcomes (risk of physical harm, blackout, hangovers, poor academic performance)
Is binge drinking substance misuse?
occasional binge drinking is considered a form of substance misuse, regular binge drinking is considered a form of substance abuse
short term effects of alcohol
- An initial drink can have a perking up effect which reduces anxiety and causes disinhibition
- after 1-2 drinks, alcohol will slow brain activity, as evidence by slurred speech, unsteady balance, slower physical and mental reaction time, confusion, and poor judgement
Long-term effects of alcohol
- toxic affects on the brain
- Arrhythmias
- Weakened immune system
- Disease of liver, pancreas, and stomach
- Some forms of cancer
- Alcoholic dementia
What is the second most commonly used substance among youth
Cannabis
What system does cannabis act on
CNS
% of Canadian university students that use cannabis at least once a month
24
What do cannabinoids do
act on receptors all over the body to promote normal functioning
Endocannabinoid system function
involved in a number of widespread actions such as appetite, pain, immune system, concentration, and well-being
Does cannabis use effect the endocannabinoid system
yes
Risks of cannabis use
mental health concerns, including anxiety, depression and for some psychosis, memory, reaction time, motivation
What happens with regular cannabis use
can have persistent effects in brain function, motivation, and mental health, as well as increase the risk of physical disease such as CVD, obstructive lung disease and possibly some forms of cancer
CBD therapeutic benefits
counterbalancing the effects of THC, Alleviating pain, movement disorders, nausea, and having a calming effect
What is CBD helpful in treating
treating nausea associated with chemo, increasing appetite in HIV patients, and treating some forms of chronic or neuropathic pain
are alcohol and cannabis depressants?
yes
What is the most common stimulant of use in uni students and the overall population?
Caffeine
Why is caffeine popular among uni students
helps you feel awake and prevent or relieve drowsiness, improve concentration and academic performance, social aspects of consumption, to improve energy and mood, and reduced stress
Too much caffeine effect
reverse effect and cause restlessness and nervousness inattention/distractibility, irritable mood, insomnia, and sleep disruption, and lower energy
Withdrawal symptoms of caffeine
headache, heart rate increase, changes in BP, shakiness, and reduced cognitive function
Non-medical prescription drug use
as use without prescription or use for reasons other than what the medication is intended
What meds are commonly misused by young people in higher education
stimulants and other illicit drugs
Harms of misusing stimulants?
CVD events, Increased risk behaviours, poorer well-being, anxiety, poor concentration, sleep problems
Ketamine
powerful anesthetic that reduces sensations in the body
MDMA
Similar to hallucinogens and stimulants
Cocaine
Highly addictive stimulant effecting the level of the neurochemical dopamine in the brain
Does cannabis cause impairment
cannabis results in significant impairment in everyday tasks such as driving by negatively affecting things like your reaction time, object tracking, working memory, attention, and decision making
effects of cannabis use in adolescence
negative impact on cognitive function, given that this is an important time of brain development
What does cannabis do to the brain
alters brain activation patterns, which affect functions like memory and reduces the efficiency of processes important for academic performance
Taking ADHD stimulant medication not having ADHD
doesn’t not make you smarter and it does not improve learning, memory or thinking ability it tends to cause lower academic performance
Stimulant medication misuse and abuse risks
Mental and physical risks. stimulant medication misuse and abuse with psychotic disorders and with serious heart problems and including heart attacks and sudden death
MDMA use effects
Lasting changed in serotonin, which affects mood, thinking, and reward processing
Cocaine use effects
Serious Cardiovascular problems, it is also very addictive
is substance misuse and abuse associated with mental health concerns
yes, they frequently co-occur
mental illnesses that are often comorbid with substance abuse?
ADHD, anxiety, depression, bipolar, schizophrenia
Relationship between substance use and mental health
complex and bidirectional
Can substance use cause mental health problems?
It can precede the onset of a mental health problem and is considered a risk factor for developing a mental disorder
What can substance use/misuse stem from
attempts to self-medicate or cope with stress or the symptoms or an emerging mental disorder through numbing, distraction and avoidance
Risk of developing psychosis
increases with regular and high-potency THC cannabis use. frequency, age at first, family history
Is single use of drugs risky?
yes, some drugs are extremely risky even from single use
how to reduce risk of substance use?
- Minimize frequency of use: during critical brain development periods
- Use modest amounts
- Educate yourself
- Be aware: know what you’re using each time
- Plan ahead: don’t use before or during situations that need attention and alertness
How to reduce risks with cannabis use?
-Impairment: avoid activities that can be impaired by cannabis use
-Biological considerations: use later in life
-Combination: don’t combine cannabis with other substances
-Method of intake: risks increase as frequency of use increases
What does impairment relate to?
decrease in your ability to function in your day-to-day life as a result if substance use
signs that substance use is causing impairment and may have become misused or abused?
- difficulty coping with stress
- financial issues
- declining physical & mental health
- difficulties with academics
- avoids engagement
- legal repercussions
- difficulties with work
- difficulties in relationships
