Recreational Drugs

What are recreational drugs?

drugs used in the absence of medical grounds for personal enjoyment

Why are recreational drugs also known as psychoactive drugs>

(they) alter brain function and change mood, perception or consious experience

What are recreational drugs also known as?

psychoactive drugs

What are five examples of recreational drugs?

caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, cocaine, heroin

What part of the brain do recreational drugs target?

reward pathways

What are reward pathways?

circuits of structures and nerves that are linked to activities of specific neurotransmitters

What neurotransmitter do recreational drugs target particularly?

dopamine

What are dopamine pathways?

reward pathways that are activated by natural rewarding behaviours such as eating food

Why is the reward feeling caused by eating high calorie food a survival mechanism>

humans are encouraged to eat high calorie food for energy

What do rewarding behaviours stimulate in the brain?

release of normal levels of dopamine in areas of the brain such as the nucleus accumbens and the ventral tegmental area in the limbic systen

Where are messages sent to following reward behaviour?

frontal cortex and we experience euphoria encouraging repetition of behaviour

What is euphoria?

(an) intensive pleasurable feeling often referred to as a high

How do the majority of recreational drugs alter neurotransmission in the dopamine system?

increase levels of dopamine in nucleus accumbens and VTA

Complete this sentence (write out correctly):

Most _____________ _____________ change the way d__________ works in the _____________ of the brain, altering __________________ between ____________.

Most recreational drugs change the way dopamine works in the synapses of the brain, altering communication between neurons

What effect do increased dopamine levels have?

prolong and intensify (the) activity of the reward systen by ensuring (the) dopamine continually excites (the) postsynaptic neurons within the system so they keep firing

How does heroin increase levels of dopamine in the synaptic cleft?

increases amount (of) dopamine released

How does cocaine increase levels of dopamine in the synaptic cleft?

blocks presynaptic transporters to reduce reuptake

How does nicotine increase levels of dopamine in the synaptic cleft?

stops (the) action of enzymes that would normally break down unused dopamine

What is cocaine?

(a) highly addictive CNS stimulant from cocoa plant leaves

What does cocaine do to the brain?

blocks transporter receptors on (the) presynaptic dopamine receptors in (the) VTA in (the) midbrain so presynaptic neurons do not reuptake dopamine so dopamine remains in (the) synaptic cleft prolonging and intensifying (the) stimulation of post synaptic neuron

What does it mean that a brain is a self regulating system?

plasticity of (the) brain means that it reacts to the overproduction of dopamine by reducing how muc dopamine it naturally produces

After the brain self regulates what happens?

without the drug dysphoria occurs as the brain has low levels of dopamine

What is dysphoria?

an intense dissatisfaction, anxiety and distress

What happens as a result of dysphoria?

motivation to read minister arises to reduce feelings of dysphoria and reexperience euphoria

How does tolerance build up?

repeated use causes further down regulation meaning tolerance builds up as (the) natural baseline level of dopamine in (the) brain is so low that (the) user must take greater doses to experience (the) same high causing physical dependancy and addiction

What is withdrawal?

when (the) drug is no longer active in (the) nervous system resulting inunpleasant mental and physical symptoms

What are the three advantages of the explanation of how drugs affect functioning and synapses?

scientific evidence using animals, brain scanning is reliable, objective and scientific, applications

What is an example of an application of how drugs affect the brain?

development of medication

What are the five disadvantages of the explanation of how drugs affect functioning and synapses?

scanning techniques not yet sophisticated enough to show tiny changes in synapses, animal studies lack external validity, individual differences, determinism, reductionism

Explain how individual differences may undermine biological explanations of addiction?

may not be complete as drugs can have different effects on people due to physiological differences and differences in brain chemistry

Explain how determinism undermines biological explanations of addiction.

implies that drug addicts have no free will and their addiction is caused by factors beyond their control

Explain how reductionism undermines biological explanations of addiction

overlooks (the) importance of social, cognitive and situational factors

What is heroin made from?

morphine from opium poppy

What are the 4 positive effects of heroin?

feelings of warmth, wellbeing and relaxation, very strong pain killer as slows down (the) way (the) body works, euphoria, distancing or apathy towards environment and problems

What are the 5 negative effects of heroin?

respiratory failure, inhaling vomit as heroin sedates you, damage to veins, sharing needles and syringes, withdrawal

What are heroins effects in terms of dependancy like?

long lasting craving and dependancy where drug associated cues can easily trigger (a) relapse

What are the relapse rates for opiates, alcohol and cocaine? (three figures separated by spaces no % sign)

91 75 42

What is a relapse?

resuming (the) use of (a) drug after period(s) of abstinence

What are drug associated cues? (give four examples)

stimuli associated with when (the) addict was taking (the) drug triggering relapse eg. places, people, objects, feelings