drug addiction

pharmocokintics

how drugs are absorbed, distributed, metabolised and eliminated from the body

mesolimbic pathway

connects ventral tegmental area to the nucleus accumbens - reward and motivation

mesococrotical pathway

connects VTA to PFC and influences decision making and executive function - cognition and emotion

reward hypothesis - liking

using drugs for pleasure, explaining WHY drug use starts

seeking hypothesis -wanting

driven by cravings and and pursit without pleasure, explains why addiction continues even when pleasure stops

context depdent tolerance

brain learns to anticipate the drug based on environmental cues where drug tolerance develops in distinctive environments

water soluble molecules

directly dissolve into the blood but do not pass through cell membranes and is eliminated via the kidneys

lipid-soluble molecules

need carriers to transport them through the blood but pass through cell membranes, storedf in fat

autoreceptors

neurotransmitter binds to where it is released from the presynaptic neuron to regulate the functioning og the system snd prevent excessive stimulation of the brain

agonist

binds to receptors to activate them

antagonist

binds to receptors to block and disactivate them

BBB

protective shield lini brain, preventing harmful substances, pathogen and toxins from entering while allowing essential nutrients to pass through

selective permeability

allows lipid-soluble substances to pass through more easily

how do benzos help people sleep

by enhancing the effects of GABA, making inhibitory signals stronger

vLPOA

uses GABA to turn off wakefulness areas when its time to sleep

4 areas involved in wakefulness

1. locus coeruleus

2. raphe nuclei

3. lateral hypothalamus

4. tuberomammillary nucleus

dose response curve

tolerance means higher dose for stronger effect over time

intracranial drug self-administration

means the drug has a direct effect past the VTA and assessment pathways and goes straight to dopamine

where is psychological dependence

works through the mesotelencephalic dopamine pathway