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SK298 - Brain, the mind & mental health > Week 11 - Biology of addictions > Flashcards

Week 11 - Biology of addictions Flashcards

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The Brain flashcards
1
Q

Are dopamine and GABA excitatory or inhibitory neurotransmitters?

A

GABA is inhibitory
Dopamine can function as either excitatory or inhibitory, depending on what type of receptor it binds to

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2
Q

The mesolimbic and mesocortical pathways are important in controlling what type of behaviour?

A

Motivated behaviour

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3
Q

What are the three routes of injection?

A
  • subcutaneous
  • intramuscular
  • intravenous
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4
Q

The quicker a drug reaches the brain, the ……. ?

A

Greater its potential for inducing euphoria

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5
Q

The way the body metabolises or excretes drugs may have impacts on what?

A

Their rewarding and addictive properties

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6
Q

If someone is not able to fully metabolise alcohol (due to a genetic variant), what is the toxic chemical which starts to accumulate in the body?

A

Acetaldehyde

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7
Q

How does methylphenidate alter dopamine neurotransmission?

A

It blocks the dopamine transporter, preventing reuptake, meaning that dopamine stays in the synapse longer which increases its chance of binding to receptors

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8
Q

Which type of receptors is nicotine thought to bind to?

A

Cholinergic receptors

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9
Q

What, in the brain, does nicotine mimic the effect of?

A

Acetylcholine

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10
Q

When nicotine mimics the effect of acetylcholine, what is the resulting effect?

A

It triggers an action potential in the dopaminergic neuron, which causes the release of dopamine

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11
Q

Does nicotine act as an agonist or antagonist at cholinergic receptors?

A

Agonist

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12
Q

What is the name of the receptors which heroin binds to?

A

mu-type opiod receptors

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13
Q

What do mu-type opiod receptors usually do?

A

Mediate the effects of the endogenous opiods known as enkephalins and endorphins

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14
Q

If the GABAergic neuron is not firing, what is not happening?

A

The dopaminergic neuron is not being inhibited

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15
Q

Is heroin an agonist or antagonist?

A

Agonist

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16
Q

Acetylcholine binding to cholinergic receptors on the dopaminergic neuron can have what effect on the dopaminergic neuron?

A

Excitatory

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17
Q

What is the resulting effect of acetylcholine bounding to cholinergic receptors on dopaminergic neurons?

A

Dopaminergic neurons are excited, which causes dopamine to be released in the nucleus accumbens and prefrontal cortex

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18
Q

The GABAergic inhibition of the dopaminergic neuron can block what effect?

A

Dopamine being released into the nucleus accumbens and prefrontal cortex

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19
Q

What does heroin bind to?

A

mu-type opiod receptors on a GABAergic neuron

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20
Q

What is prevented from being released if heroin binds to mu-type opiod receptors on a GABAergic neuron?

A

It prevents the GABAergic neuron from releasign GABA

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21
Q

If there is less binding of GABA to receptors on the dopaminergic neuron, what does that mean?

A

That the dopaminergic neuron will be more easily activated and and excited when acetylcholine binds to cholinergic receptors

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22
Q

Which neurotransmitter is thought to play a role in the propensity to gamble?

A

Dopamine

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23
Q

What is the current primary method for measuring molecules in the conscious human brain?

A

Through positron emission tomography (PET) scans

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24
Q

Which two areas of the brain generally have high density of dopamine receptors?

A
  • Nucleus accumbens
  • Prefrontal cortex
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25
Q

Why can biological results from a PET scan be challenging to interpret?

A

As the drug user is not being observed in their usual drug-taking location

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26
Q

What is the name of the technique which is used in order for us to be able to study animals in PET scanners?

A

Microdialysis

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27
Q

How does microdialysis in animals work?

A

During it,a small probe is inserted into the animal’s brain and samples of extracellular fluid are taken during behaviour, which are later studied using specialist lab equipment

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28
Q

What is meant by the term transients?

A

Changes in dopamine neurotransmission

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29
Q

What is the name for a receptor which functions by way of mediating the flow of ions in or out of the neuron?

A

Ionotropic receptors

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30
Q

What are ionotropic receptors?

A

A type of receptors that are directly linked to a channel in the cell membrane which is how ions flow in or out the cell

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31
Q

Are ionotropic receptors slow or fast acting?

A

Fast acting, because they are linked directly to the ion channels

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32
Q

Receptors which do not work on an ionotropic basis are known as what?

A

Metabotropic receptors

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33
Q

What are metabotropic receptors?

A

A type of receptor that is linked to a set of reactions and signalling proteins within the cell

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34
Q

What is meant by the term subtypes?

A

It is the name for different receptors which can be for the same neurotransmitter

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35
Q

What are the two subtypes of dopaminergic receptors known as?

A
  • D1
  • D2
36
Q

What is meant by the term metabotropic?

A

A type of membrane that initiates a number of metabolic steps to modulate cell activity

37
Q

Where are D1 subtypes located?

A

On the postsynaptic membrane

38
Q

Are D1 subtypes inhibitory or excitatory?

A

Excitatory

39
Q

Are D2 receptors inhibitory or excitatory?

A

Inhibitory

40
Q

Where can D2 receptors be found?

A

On either the pre- or postsynaptic membrane

41
Q

What are the two types of receptors that the nervous sytem utilises?

A
  • Ionotropic
  • Metabotropic
42
Q

Are dopaminergic receptors ionotropic or metabotropic?

A

Metabotropic

43
Q

What are G proteins?

A

Proteins which either stimulate or inhibit a series of further proteins

44
Q

When dopamine binds to a D1 receptor, is the protein called kinase A (PKA) stimulated or inhibited?

A

Activated

45
Q

When dopamine binds to a D2 receptor, is the protein called kinase A (PKA) stimulated or inhibited?

A

Inhibited

46
Q

Protein kinase A (PKA) is stimulated or inhibited by the D1 receptor?

A

Stimulated

47
Q

Protein kinase A (PKA) is stimulated or inhibited by the D2 receptor?

A

Inhibited

48
Q

What effect can PKA (protein kinase a) have on the cell membrane?

A

It can alter the shape and structure of the cell membrane

49
Q

When PKA (protein kinase a) affects a cell membrane, what are the results of that change?

A

Ions may be able to flow more easily through the channel, or cause the channel to remain ‘open’ for longer

50
Q

What are transcription factors?

A

A family of proteins that can bind to regulatory sites on a gene, thereby promoting transcription of DNA to mRNA

51
Q

If PKA (protein kinase a) travels to the cell membrane, what can it activate?

A

Transcription factors

52
Q

Activation of D1 receptors has what effect to PKA (protein kinase a)?

A

It activates it

53
Q

If dopamine binds to D2 receptors, what effect does that have to PKA (protein kinase a)?

A

It inhibits it

54
Q

When PKA (protein kinase a) is activated and travels into the cell nucleus, what is the name of the transcription factor which it activates?

A

CREB

55
Q

What does the transcription factor known as CREB do?

A

It activates the transcription of a gene known as the FosB gene

56
Q

What is the function of the FosB gene?

A

It produces a protein called deltaFosB

57
Q

If D1 receptors are activated, leading to elevated levels of deltaFosB in neurons, what behaviour does this affect?

A

It is thought to control various aspects of addiction

58
Q

What can the protein deltaFosB be an indicator or biomarker for?

A

Addiction

59
Q

What is meant by the term sensitisation?

A

A state in which the same amount of reward causes a greater effect over timeq

60
Q

What is incentive sensitation?

A

A theory regarding drug addiction that posits that the thing that drives people is the desire for the reward, rather than its pleasurable experience

61
Q

What is one psychosocial factor which can have an impact on (and enhance) incentive sensitisation?

A

Stressful experiences

62
Q

Since stress can enhance incentive sensitisation, how would you predict impact it to impact deltaFosB production?

A

Repeated exposure to stressful events increases deltaFosB production

63
Q

What happens in a Skinner box?

A

Inside the box there is a lever, next to a tray that food pellets are dispensed into. It is designed to see if an animal learns the association between learning to press the lever to gain food

64
Q

What is behavioural economics?

A

The psychological study of decision-making from an economical perspective

65
Q

What is an example of behavioural economics in human behaviour?

A

Someone who has never used heroin may be much less likely than a regular user to pay a large sum of money for heroin

66
Q

If a rat were to be pressing a lever in order to obtain a reward, would that be an example of operant conditioning or Pavlovian (classical) conditioning?

A

Operant conditioning because the rat is performing an action instrumental in receiving a reward

67
Q

What is meant by the term classical conditioning?

A

Association between an involuntary response and a stimulus

68
Q

What is meant by the term operant conditioning?

A

Association between a voluntary behaviour and a consequence

69
Q

If there are stimuli present which in an environment which do not pair with an unconditional stimulus, how do we refer to them?

A

As a CS minus (CS-)

70
Q

Why is it important to consider the impact of Pavlovian (classical) conditioning on addictive behaviours?

A

The development of addiction does not occur in isolation

71
Q

If there are stimuli present which in an environment which do pair with an unconditional stimulus, how do we refer to them?

A

A conditioned stimulus (CS+), or reward-paired cue

72
Q

What inadvertant effect may occur if there are stimuli present which are not immediately associated with an addiction?

A

They may become a conditioned stimulus (CS+)

73
Q

Cues which aquire the potential to drive behaviour and induce relapse are referred to how?

A

Motivational magnets or incentive stimuli

74
Q

What is meant by the term incentive stimuli?

A

Cues that can evoke an emotional state such that they have the potential to drive behaviour

75
Q

What term is used to describe stimuli that evoke motivational states?

A

Incentive stimuli

76
Q

What is an example of a potential CS+ in the context of addiction to nicotine?

A

If someone smokes in a social setting they may start to feel the need for a cigarette each time they are in that situation

77
Q

Pavlovian conditioning elicits which type of response?

A

A conditioned response

78
Q

What does the abbreviation ‘CS+’ mean?

A

Conditioned stimulus (positive)

79
Q

What is meant by the term goal tracker?

A

An individual who interacts mainly with aspects of reward delivery

80
Q

What is meant by the term sign tracker?

A

An individual who interacts mainly with the cues relating to a reward

81
Q

Are sign trackers or goal trackers more likely to exhibit addiction-related behaviours?

A

Sign trackers

82
Q

When initially receiving a reward, dopamine releasing neurons in which area of the brain become active?

A

The ventral tegmental area

83
Q

After repeatedly being exposed to a reward, dopamine is released from which area of the brain?

A

The nucleus accumbens

84
Q

The cue-associated dopamine release which occurs when dopamine is elicited from the NAc rather than the VTA acts as a signal to do what?

A

Pursue reward

85
Q

After repeated exposure to a reward, the dopaminergic neuron no longer responds to the reward itself. This is demonstration of what kind of learning?

A

Reward-related learning

86
Q

The shift in the timing of release of dopamine from reward to reward prediction is thought to be a biological mechanism of what?

A

Addiction

87
Q

What is thought to be one biological mechanism of addiction?

A

The shift in the timing of release of dopamine from reward to reward prediction

SK298 - Brain, the mind & mental health (19 decks)

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