Week 4: drugs and addiction Flashcards
1
Q
What is the Etymology of “Addiction”?
A
- addicere = enslavement (5BC)
- addict = to attach
- 17th century: being devoted to
2
Q
What are the different stages or types of severeness of Addiction according to the DSM V
A
- risky Substance Use
- Substance Use Disorder
- Addiction
3
Q
What is risky substance use ?
A
- stage before SUD (less severe)
- refers to quantity / frequency of consumption
4
Q
What is SUD?
A
= Substance used disorder
- defined by different types of criteria:
- biological
- psychological
- behavioural
- social
- more severe than risky substance use, less than addiction
5
Q
What is Addiction?
A
- most severe stage of SUD
- significant loss of control
- presence of compulsive behaviors despite desire to stop
6
Q
What are different functions of dopamine?
A
- Motivation
- cognition
- hormonal control
- motor function
7
Q
What is the mesocortical pathway?
A
- dopamine pathway
- VTA to Cortex
- important for cognition
8
Q
What is the mesolimbic pathway?
A
- dopamine pathway
- VTA to nucelus accumbens
- iportant for motivation
9
Q
What is the nigrostriatal pathway?
A
- dopamine pathway
- Substantia Nigra to Striatum
- important for motor function
10
Q
What is the tuberoinfundibular pathway?
A
- dopamine pathway
- hypothalamus to pituitary
- important for hormonal regulation
11
Q
What are different drug administration routes?
A
- enternal route
- topical route
- parental route
12
Q
What is the enternal route?
A
drug administration via the human gastrointernal tract
13
Q
What is the Topical Route?
A
application of drugs to the skin or an orifice
14
Q
What is the parenteral route?
A
drugs given by routes other than enternal and topical
15
Q
What individual differences play a role in drug effects?
A
- body weight
- gender
- genetics
- age
- health
16
Q
What is the placebo effect ?
A
a physiological response following the administration of a pharmacologically inert “remedy”
17
Q
How does the administration route of nicotine influence its effects?
A
- peak response (highest blood nicotine concentration) occurs much faster after administration when smoking cigarettes (10-15mins) vs. chewing
- blood nicotine concentration drops a lot quicker for smoking while it remains relatively stable for chewing
18
Q
What are antagonists in the context of drugs?
A
drugs that reduce the activity of a neurochemical
19
Q
what are agonists in the context of drugs?
A
drugs that enhance the activity of a neurochemical
20
Q
What mechanisms can drugs affect?
A
- production of neurochemicals
- neurochemical storage
- neurochemical release
- receptor effects
- reuptake and enzymatic degradation
21
Q
What are different types of psychoactive drugs?
A
- Stimulants
- Depressants
- Opioids
- Hallucinogens
- Cannabis
22
Q
What are different kinds of Stimulants?
A
- Caffeine
- Nicotine
- Cocaine
- Amphetamine
23
Q
What are the effects of Caffeine?
A
- increases alertness
- increases attentional performance
24
Q
What are the effects of nicotine?
A
- improves alerting and orienting attention
- improves episodic working memory
25
What are the effects of cocaine?
- increased alertness
- feelings of well-being and euphoria
- increased energy
- increased motor activity
- feelings of competence
- enhanced sexual vigor
26
What are the effects of Amphetamine?
- improves:
- cognitive functions
- inhibitory control
- episodic and working memory
- aspects of attention
- performance on effortful tasks
27
What are side effects of Amphetamine?
- possible dependence
- accompanied with severe “crash” with depression when drugs wear off (especially when smoked or injected)
28
What are side effects of Cocaine?
- decreased appetite
- headache
29
What are side effects of Nicotine?
major negative effects on health if smoked or chewed
30
What are side effects of Caffeine?
may create dependance
31
What are different kinds of Depressants?
- Alcohol
- Benzodiazepines
- Barbiturates
- Inhalants
32
What is Valium?
a Benzodiazepine
33
What is Xanax?
a Benzodiazepine
34
What is Phenobarbital?
a Barbiturate
35
What are the effects of Alcohol?
- slows brain function
- impairs memory
- impairs attention
- impairs judgement
36
What are the side effects of alcohol?
long-term use raises risks for:
- liver disease
- cardiovascular problems
- dementia (in older adults)
37
What are the effects of Benzodiazepines?
- reduced anxiety
- impairs memory
- impairs concentration
38
What are the side effects of Benzodiazepines?
- high risk of dependency
- tolerance
- withdrawal
- link between long-term use and cognitive decline, possibly dementia
39
What are the effects of Barbiturates?
- deep sedation
- reduces memory
- reduces attention
- reduces coordination
40
What are the side effects of Barbiturates?
- high risk of overdose
- dependency
- potentially dangerous withdrawal
41
What are the effects of inhalants?
- induce euphoria
- indue disorientation (by slowing brain function)
42
What are the side effects of inhalants?
long-term use can cause:
- memory loss
- motor issues
- brain cell damage (particularly in areas controlling movement and cognition)
43
What are common Opioids?
- Morphine
- Heroin
- Fentanyl
- Oxycodone
44
How do Opioids affect the body?
- slowing of many body functions
- constipation
- respiratory and cardiac depression
45
What are the side effects of Opioids?
- restlessnes
- irritability
- headache
- tremors (for Heroin and morphine)
- nausea
- vomitting
- severe abdominal pain
46
How does cannabis work?
1. consumption activates cannabinoid receptors
2. decrease in adenylate activity
3. decreases GABA release
4. increase in synpatic dopamine levels
47
What are the effects of Cannabis?
alterations in:
- perception
- cognition
- Motor behavior
- memory
- learning
48
What are the side effects of Cannabis?
psychotic episodes in case of long-term use
49
How do Hallucinogens work?
- chemical compositions are similar to serotonin and epinephrine
- act primarily by mimicking those neurotransmitters
50
What are the effects of Hallucinogens?
- euphoria
- therapeutic insight
- mystical experiences
- anxiety and panic
51
What are some Hallucinogens?
- LSD
- Mescaline
- PCP
- Peyote
52
What is physical dependence?
state of an individual who has repeatedly taken a drug and experiences unpleasant physiological symptoms if they stop
53
What is withdrawal?
a syndrome that develops after cessation of prolonged, heavy consumption of a substance
54
What are symptoms of withdrawal?
- vary by substance
- generell include physiological, behavioral and cognitive manifestations, e.g.:
- nausea and vomiting
- insomnia
- mood alterations
- anxiety
55
What is Tolerance?
- condition resulting from persistent use of a drug
- characterized by:
- diminished effect of the drug with regular use of the same does
- need to increase the dose over time to achieve the same desired effect
56
What is the rat park experiment?
experiment that examines the role of environment in addiction
57
What were the results/ findings of the rat park experiment?
rats in social, stimulating environment showed less interest in drug-laced water compared to isolated rats
58
What are the implications of the rat park experiment?
- addiction is not only influenced by chemical dependency
- also social factors, e.g. isolation or lack of engagement
59
What is the biopsychological model of addiction
- model that shows addiction as multifaceted condition
- addiction is shaped by a complex interplay of internal and external factors:
- biological factors
- psychological factors
- social factors
- intention of giving a more complete account of healthcare and illness behavior
60
How do biological factors play a role in addiction?
genetics and brain chemistry (e.g. dopamine release) increase susceptibility to addiction, impact tolerance and withdrawal
61
How do psychological factors play a role in addiction?
- mental health
- personality traits
- coping skills
→ all play key role in how individuals respond to drugs
62
How do social factors play a role in addiction?
environmental influences (e.g. peer groups, family, socio-economic status) affect vulnerability to addiction
63
How can substance use affect mental health?
- long-term use can lead to dysfunctional reward system
- certain drugs heighten the risk of psychosis
- ~50% of people who experience a mental illness during their lives will also experience a SUD and vice versa
64
How do other mental health issues influence the prevalence of SUDs?
SUDs co-occur at high prevalence with mental disorders such as
- depression
- bipolar disorder
- ADHD
- psychotic illness
- bpd
- antisocial personality disorder
65
In what way do drugs increase risk of psychosis ?
- cannabinoids: induce psychotic symptoms
- synthetic cannabinoids: severe psychotic syndromes
- synthetic Cathinones: delirium-lie symptoms and impulsivity
- cocaine and amphetamines: associated with psychotic episodes
- hallucinogens: induce transient psychotic symptoms
66
How can substance use affect the reward system?
- long-term drug exposure probably causes changes in the substance reward circuit including VTA, OFC, basal forebrain
- chronic use causes PFC damage → impaired response inhibition and salience attribution (iRISA)
- changes with abstinence and recovery with treatment suggests plasticity
67
What was Ketamine originally developed for?
- anesthetic
- potent painkiller
- produces “dissociated analgesia” → pain relief for brief medical procedures (e.g. bone alignment)
68
What is a new field Ketamine is being used for?
- powerful tool on treating treatment-resistant depression
- may serve as prototype for a new class of antidepressant medication
69
What are challenges of Ketamine as treatment for TRD?
- potential for dependency
- side effects
- durability
- ethical and regulatory concerns
