drugs and behavior

 Alcohol increases synaptic levels of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens by

Inhibiting GABA neurons in the VTA and Increasing the production and release of endogenous opioids in the VTA

Which of the following is NOT a cellular effect of chronic alcohol use?

Upregulation of GABA receptors

Why is THC less reinforcing than opioids and other highly abused drugs?

THC is only a partial agonist at the CB1 receptor

Which of the following has been found in brain imaging studies of long-term cannabis users?

All of the above:

1. Reduced gray matter volume in several brain areas

2. Down-regulation of central CB1 receptors in many areas of the brain

3. DA system abnormalities

The main descending pathway that modifies pain information from the spinal cord involves which structure

PAG

Studies of reinforcement suggest that opioid drugs produce their effects by inhibiting

Gaba

How is Salvinorin A different from most of the other psychedelic drugs?

It is a k-opioid agonist

PCP and ketamine are

Uncompetitive antagonists at NMDA receptors

Which of the following is not an abnormality found in the brain of patients with schizophrenia?

Increased connectivity between brain regions

Which model of schizophrenia was suggested by the fact that amphetamine users experience psychotic symptoms that could be reversed by DA antagonists?

Dopamine hypothesis

The effectiveness of antipsychotic drugs is due to

Dopamine receptor antagonism

Which of the following best describes reactive depression

A depression that occurs after a troubling life event, such as divorce

Which statement about risk factors for mood disorders is true?

The genetic factors involved in mood disorders indicate that an individual may be more susceptible to a disorder, not that they will definitely develop it

Studies on the acute and chronic effects of antidepressants on serotonin have shown that

The autoreceptors are activated acutely, causing a decrease in synthesis and release of 5-HT

Which class of antidepressant drugs elevates the amount of monoamine neurotransmitters available for release?

MAOIs

Eating while drinking alcohol _________ its absorption by __________ enzymatic breakdown.

Decreases, increasing

The first step in the metabolism of alcohol is its conversion to

Acetaldehyde

Which of the following is NOT a chronic cellular effect of alcohol?

Increased dopamine cell firing

Alcohol is an _______ at GABA receptors, and an __________ at glutamate receptors

Agonist, Antagonist

Acutely, alcohol __________ dopamine transmission in the mesolimbic tract and __________ endogenous opioid synthesis and release

Increases, increases

Korsakoff’s syndrome is caused by

Damage to the thalamus from chronic vitamin B1 deficiency

Oral administration of marijuana

Results in a longer duration of action of the drug

Which statement regarding CB1 cannabinoid receptors is false?

It is an ionotropic receptor

_______ increases regional brain activation and blood flow in some brain regions, while _______ has the opposite effect.

THC; CBD

The development of tolerance to cannabis

Both A and D: Involves down-regulation of CB1 receptors & Occurs in response to heavy chronic cannabis use

Match the Brain Region to the effect of THC

Amygdala →

Basal Ganglia →

Hypothalamus →

Nucleus Accumbens →

Hippocampus →

Amygdala → Panic/paranoia

Basal Ganglia → Slowed Reaction

Hypothalamus → Increased Appetite

Nucleus Accumbens → Euphoria

Hippocampus → Impaired Memory

All of the following are acute effects of the class of drugs called narcotic analgesics except

Diarrhea

One common effect of increasing opiate dose is

Euphoria

Opiates are dangerous at high doses due mostly to

The suppression of the brainstem’s respiratory center. 

Which of the following is false regarding endogenous opioids and opioid receptors?

Both A and D are false: They stimulate neurotransmission in two ways & Endogenous opioids are never co-released with other neurotransmitters 

Match the brain region to the acute opioid effect

Periaqueductal Gray →

VTA / NAc →

Brain Stem →

Amygdala / Limbic System →

Periaqueductal Gray → Analgesia

VTA / NAc → Euphoria

Brain Stem → Respiratory depression

Amygdala / Limbic System → Dulling of Negative Emotions

Which of the following is not a psychedelic drug?

5-HT (serotinin)

What is the mechanism of action psychedelic mushrooms?

After ingestion, psilocybin is converted to psilocin, which is the psychoactive agent.

What is responsible for the unusually long length of an LSD “trip”?

After receptor binding, a lid-like structure formed from the receptor protein temporarily traps the drug in the binding pocket.

PCP and ketamine act on the postsynaptic cell by

Acting as an uncompetitive antagonist at the NMDA receptor.

A secondary consequence of NMDA receptor antagonism is _______ presynaptic glutamate release, which may result from _______ of receptors on inhibitory GABAergic interneurons that innervate the cortical neurons.

increased; blockade

Which hypothesis was developed after it was shown that the effects of high doses of ketamine are similar to symptoms of schizophrenia?

A major factor in schizophrenia is hypoactivity of the glutamatergic system, particularly NMDA receptor signaling.

Self-administration studies in animals have shown that

Both PCP and ketamine are highly reinforcing for several species. 

A change observed in the brains of people with schizophrenia is

Disorganized arrangement of hippocampal cells.

Which model of schizophrenia integrates the neurochemical data with the neuroanatomical findings concerning the disorder?

The neurodevelopmental model

Which of the following is associated with the neurodevelopmental model of schizophrenia?

High mesolimbic DA activity following mesocortical cell loss may explain the dramatic positive symptoms of schizophrenia.

Which statement about glutamate and DA in regard to symptoms associated with schizophrenia is true?

Insufficient glutamate at the NMDA receptor may be a precursor to DA dysfunction and may explain increases in mesolimbic DA and decreases in PFC function. 

Match the antipsychotic drug effect to the DA pathway it is related to

Effects on positive symptoms →

Effects on cognitive and negative symptoms →

Motor side effects →

Neuroendocrine side effects →

Effects on positive symptoms → Mesolimbic Pathway

Effects on cognitive and negative symptoms → Mesocortical Pathway

Motor side effects → Nigrostriatal Pathway

Neuroendocrine side effects → Tuberohypophyseal Pathway

The effectiveness of antipsychotic drugs in reducing positive symptoms is due to:

Dopamine receptor antagonism.

Which of the following is true regarding the monoamine hypothesis of depression?

Depression is associated with low levels of monoamines 

 Most antidepressants ________ 5-HT by __________ reuptake through SERT.

Increase, blocking

Which of the following is NOT part of the neuropathology associated with depression?

Increased volume of the hippocampus 

Which of the following is evidence of serotonin dysfunction in depression?

Both B and C: Individuals 5-HT receptor knockout mice have depression-like symptoms & Most antidepressant medications increase 5-HT 

The definition of a drug is always the same, regardless of context.

False

A drug is an exogenous substance.

True

A psychoactive drug is a drug that

affects thinking, mood, or behavior

Drug tolerance refers to:

the diminished effect with repeated use

Which of the following scenarios represents an example of instrumental drug use?

taking morphine to relieve back pain after surgery

Humans have 12 pairs of cranial nerves that all serve motor functions

false

Match the following brain areas with their function:

hippocampus -

limbic system -

basal ganglia -

cerebellum -

medulla -

hippocampus - involved in memory formation

limbic system - Group of structures involved in the regulation of emotions and the emotional interpretation of environmental stimuli

basal ganglia - Group of structures that controls smooth, voluntary movements

cerebellum - important for motor planning and learning

medulla - Coordinates basic life support systems including respiratory rhythms

Match the following lobe of the brain to one of its functions:

frontal -

parietal -

temporal -

occipital -

frontal - planning and signaling movements

parietal - somatosensory (touch and pain)

temporal - hearing, language

occipital - early stage vision

The nervous system is made up of cells called

neurons

Understanding the properties of individual neurons is essential to understanding the relationship between brain and behavior.

true

Myelin is made from

glial cells

Electrical signals within a single neuron typically flow in more than one direction.

false

Which part of the neuron typically serves as the input region?

dendrites

The structure of a neuron is unrelated to its function

false

A membrane potential is the difference in electrical charge between

The inside and outside of a cell

Potassium ions have a _____ charge and are in excess _______ the cell; sodium ions have a _____ charge and are in excess _______ the cell.

Positive, inside, positive, outside

Na+ ions are continually forced into neurons by

Both B and C: Their high external concentration & The negative resting potential

At resting potential, potassium is

Both B and D: driven into the cell by electrostatic forces & driven out of the cell by its concentration gradient

Which of the following is a passive process that acts to distribute ions evenly in neural tissue?

 A and B only: diffusion & electrostatic pressure

The brief period of time immediately after the initiation of an action potential when it is absolutely impossible to initiate another one in the same neuron is called the

absolute refractory period

Action potentials do not go backwards because

Na+ channels become inactivated

Which action would depolarize a neuron?

increasing how much sodium can get into the cell

A drug that blocks the voltage-gated sodium channel in a neuron's membrane will...

block the action potential

Which action would hyperpolarize a neuron?

A and B only: Allowing more K+ to leave the cell & increasing how much chloride can get into the cell

An action potential typically begins at the 

axon hillock

The all-or-none property of the action potential refers to

The action potential either occurs completely or not at all, regardless of stimulus strength above the threshold.

The downstroke (falling phase) of the action potential is due to:

The opening of voltage-gated potassium (K⁺) channels and the efflux of potassium ions.

Neurotransmitters are often stored in

 

Vesicles in the terminals of the presynaptic neuron

Entry of ______ into the axon terminals allows vesicles to fuse with the presynaptic membrane and release ______ into the synapse

Ca2+, neurotransmitters

What makes EPSPs excitatory?

EPSPs increase the probability of firing because they depolarize the postsynaptic membrane

EPSPs are

All of the above:

Graded responses

Postsynaptic responses

Transmitted decrementally

Depolarizations

After release, neurotransmitters are removed from the synapse by

A and B only: Reuptake & Enzymatic degradation

If a neurotransmitter binds to a ligand-gated ion channel and Na+ channels are opened, what type of postsynaptic response will be recorded?

EPSP

Which of the following is False regarding metabotropic receptors?

They directly affect ion channels after NT binding

Every time a neuron receives an excitatory input, it fires an action potential.

False

Which neurotransmitter system is associated with diffuse modulatory signaling and plays a crucial role in regulating mood, pain, and sleep?

Serotonin system

Which of the following is True regarding small molecule neurotransmitters and neuropeptides?

neuropeptides can be co-localized with small molecule neurotransmitters

Match the diffuse modulatory neurotransmitter system with the location of its cell bodies

Dopamine

Norepinephrine

Serotonin

Acetylcholine

Dopamine - substantia nigra, ventral tegmental area

Norepinephrine - locus ceruleus

Serotonin - Raphe nuclei

Acetylcholine - Basal forebrain

A drug that reduces the amount of NT synthesizing enzymes would be an

antagonist

Which of the following neurotransmitters belong to the catecholamine group?

dopamine

Drugs that facilitate the activity of the synapses of a particular neurotransmitter are said to be _______ of that neurotransmitter

agonist

Drugs that bind to a neurotransmitter’s receptors on the postsynaptic membrane without activating them are

antagonists

Prozac is an antidepressant drug that blocks reuptake of serotonin thereby

increasing the amount of serotonin in the synapse

Drugs administered _______ become bioavailable the most rapidly.

intravenously (IV)

Factors that influence drug absorption include

all of the above:

stomach content

solubility of a drug

area of absorbing surface

Which of the following is NOT a factor that influences drug bioavailability? 

the therapeutic effects of a drug

Which of the following routes of administration typically requires the highest drug dose to achieve a desired psychoactive effect, due to lower bioavailability?

oral

________ is the most important route for drug elimination

urine

Tolerance decreases the likelihood of withdrawal symptoms.

false

Most drugs of abuse increase serotonin release in the ventral tegmental area (VTA).

false

Food and Cocaine increase dopamine levels to the same extent. 

false

Which of the following neural circuits is NOT thought to be involved with drug abuse and addiction?

All of the above ARE thought to be involved with addiction