AP Psychology - Unit 1.3c Psychoactive Drugs and Substance Use Disorder

Psychoactive Substances

• purposefully alter an individual’s perception, consciousness, or mood

Agonist Drugs

• increase a neurotransmitter’s effectiveness and neural activity

• mimics neurotransmitters and binds to a neuron's receptors

Antagonist Drugs

• inhibit or block a neurotransmitter’s action or effect

• decreases neural activity

• can block the neurotransmitters being released by the presynaptic axon terminals from entering the synapse

• can bind to the postsynaptic receptors and block the neurotransmitters in the synapse from binding to the receiving neuron’s dendrites

Stimulants

• excites and promotes neural activity

• gives an individual energy

• reduces a person’s appetite

• causes an individual to become irritable (easily annoyed or angry)

• ex: caffeine, nicotine, or cocaine

Depressants

• reduces neural activity

• causes drowsiness, muscle relaxation, and lowered breathing

• if depressants are abused, they can potentially lead to an individual’s death

• ex: alcohol and sleeping pills

Hallucinogens

• causes people to sense things that aren’t actually there (hallucinate)

• reduces a person’s motivation

• causes an individual to panic

• scientists don’t completely understand how hallucinogens function

• ex: marihuana, peyotes, and LSD

Opioids

• acts as a depressant

• gives individuals pain relief

• are highly addictive

• ex: morphine and heroin