recreational drugs

what are recreational drugs

• psychoactive drugs

• that are used in the absence of medical grounds

• for personal enjoyment

• that alter brain function

• by changing mood perception and/or conscious experience

definition of euphoria

an intense pleasurable feeling - often referred to as a high

what is cocaine

• a highly addictive CNS stimulant

• that disrupts the normal functioning of the dopamine pathways in the brain

• extracted from the leaves of the coca plant

describe how recreational drugs/cocaine effects synaptic transmission/works (4)

• cocaine blocks the transporter receptors on the pre-synaptic dopamine neurons in the VTA,

• therefore it doesn’t reuptake dopamine and it remains in the synaptic cleft for longer,

• this prolongs and intensifies the stimulation of the post synaptic neuron,

• because the VTA activates the nucleus accumbens which is associated with euphoric feelings euphoria is experienced

what are the features of the dopamine pathway

frontal cortex, nucleus accumbens, ventral tegmental area, hippocampus, substantia nigra and striatum

definition of dysphoria

an intense dissatisfaction, anxiety, discomfort and distress

how does drug addiction occur (5)

• as the brain is a self regulating system it reacts to the over production of dopamine by reducing how much dopamine it naturally produces,

• when the drug subsides the brain has less dopamine for normal functioning which causes feeling of dysphoria,

• the plasticity of the brain means that the brain can no longer function properly without the drug,

• to reduce feeling of dysphoria and re-experience euphoria repeated drug use occurs which further down regulates the production of dopamine,

• a tolerance is built up so the person becomes physically dependant on the drug to avoid withdrawal

what are strengths of how drugs effect brain function (3)

• well controlled,

• scientific evidence

• often using animals would not be possible on humans due to ethical constraints,

• brain scans provide important data on how the brain works whilst on drugs

• which allows medication to develop

what are weaknesses of how drugs effect brain function

• scanning techniques are not sophisticated enough to show everything that happens

• like the tiny changes in the synapses when drugs are used,

• much evidence is from animal research - which raises ethical issues

• and it’s not straightforward to generalise findings to humans,