States of Conciousness

Absorbed

The process by which a drug enters the bloodstream from its site of administration.

Acetaminophen

A common over-the-counter analgesic and antipyretic drug used to treat pain and fever.

Acetylcholine

A neurotransmitter involved in muscle activation, memory, and learning.

Acetylsalicylic Acid

The active ingredient in aspirin, used to relieve pain, reduce fever, and decrease inflammation.

Acute Tolerance

A rapid decrease in the effectiveness of a drug after a single use or within a short period.

Addiction

A chronic disorder characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use despite harmful consequences.

Addictive Personality

A controversial concept suggesting certain personality traits may predispose individuals to addiction.

Aftercare

Post-treatment support and services provided to individuals recovering from substance use disorders.

Agitated Depression

A subtype of depression characterized by restlessness, irritability, and heightened psychomotor activity.

Akinesia

A lack of voluntary movement, often seen in neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease.

Alpha Waves

Slow brain waves associated with a relaxed, awake state.

Amotivational Syndrome

A hypothesized effect of chronic cannabis use, marked by apathy, lack of motivation, and decreased goal-directed behavior.

Amphetamines

Stimulant drugs that increase energy and alertness.

Anabolic Steroids

Synthetic substances similar to testosterone, used to promote muscle growth and improve physical performance.

Analgesia

The inability to feel pain, often induced by drugs like opioids or anesthetics.

Anandamide

An endogenous cannabinoid neurotransmitter involved in pain, mood, appetite, and memory.

Anorectic Effects

Drug effects that suppress appetite, often seen with stimulants like amphetamines.

Anticholinergic Hallucinogens

A class of hallucinogens, such as atropine, that block acetylcholine receptors and produce delirium and hallucinations.

Antihistamines

Drugs that block histamine receptors to reduce allergy symptoms, and sometimes used for their sedative effects.

Antitussives

Medications, such as dextromethorphan, used to suppress coughing.

Anxiolytic

A drug that reduces anxiety, such as benzodiazepines.

Apothecary

An early form of a pharmacist who prepared and sold medicinal drugs.

Atropine

An anticholinergic drug used to treat bradycardia and as an antidote for certain poisonings.

Automatic Processing

Unconscious encoding of information such as time, space, and frequency.

Avoirdupois

A system of weights used in the U.S. for measuring non-precious materials, including drugs.

Barbiturates

Depressant drugs that reduce central nervous system activity and can induce sleep.

Basal Ganglia

Brain structures involved in motor control, procedural learning, and reward.

Behavioral Pharmacology

The study of the effects of drugs on behavior and how behavior influences drug effects.

Behavioral Tolerance

A decrease in drug effects due to learned adaptations in behavior rather than changes in physiology.

Beta-Blockers

Drugs that reduce heart rate and blood pressure by blocking beta-adrenergic receptors.

Bioavailability

The proportion of a drug that enters the bloodstream and is available to have an active effect.

Blackout

A temporary loss of memory resulting from excessive alcohol consumption.

Blood-Brain Barrier

A protective barrier of tightly packed cells in the brain's blood vessels that restricts the entry of substances from the bloodstream into the brain.

Cannabinoids

A class of chemical compounds, including THC and CBD, that interact with the body’s endocannabinoid system.

Casual Relationship

A relationship in which one event or factor directly causes another.

Circadian Rhythm

The biological clock regulating sleep-wake cycles roughly every 24 hours.

Cocaine

A powerful stimulant drug that increases energy and euphoria.

Confabulation

The fabrication of false memories without the intent to deceive, often seen in conditions like Korsakoff syndrome.

Conflict Paradigm

An experimental method in behavioral pharmacology that studies drug effects on decision-making under conflicting motivations.

Consciousness

Our awareness of ourselves and our environment.

Craving

A strong desire or urge to use a drug, often a symptom of addiction.

Cross-Tolerance

When tolerance to one drug reduces sensitivity to another drug with a similar mechanism of action.

Delta Waves

Slow brain waves associated with deep sleep.

Depressants

Drugs that reduce neural activity and slow body functions.

Diffusibility

The ability of a drug to spread through tissues and reach its target site.

Dispositional Tolerance

A decrease in drug effects due to increased metabolism or excretion of the drug.

Dissociative Anesthetic

A class of drugs, like ketamine, that produce a sense of detachment from reality and pain relief.

Dissolved

A drug in liquid form, enabling absorption into the bloodstream.

Distillation

A process used to purify or concentrate a liquid, often used in alcohol production.

Distribution

The dispersion of a drug throughout the body, influenced by blood flow, tissue binding, and solubility.

Dopamine

A neurotransmitter involved in reward, motivation, and motor control.

Dream

A sequence of images, emotions, and thoughts passing through a sleeping person’s mind.

Drug

Any substance that alters physiological or psychological processes.

Drug Abuse

The excessive or inappropriate use of a substance in a way that causes harm or distress.

Drug Discrimination Study

An experimental method where animals or humans learn to distinguish the effects of different drugs.

Drug Dosage

The specific amount of a drug to be administered at one time or over a set period.

Drug Effects

The physiological or psychological changes resulting from drug administration.

Drug Expectancy

The anticipated effects of a drug, influenced by individual beliefs and prior experiences.

Drug Potency

The strength of a drug’s effects at a given dose.

Dual Processing

The principle that information is processed on both conscious and unconscious levels simultaneously.

Dyskinesia

Abnormal, involuntary movements, often a side effect of certain medications or neurological disorders.

Ecstasy (MDMA)

A psychoactive drug causing euphoria and increased social connectedness, with potential neurotoxic effects.

Effective Dose

The dose of a drug that produces the desired effect in a specific percentage of a population.

Efficacy

The maximum effect a drug can produce, regardless of dose.

Emphysema

A chronic lung condition causing shortness of breath due to damage to the alveoli.

Endogenous

Originating within the body, such as endogenous neurotransmitters.

Enzyme Breakdown

The process by which enzymes in the body metabolize and deactivate drugs.

Exogenous

Originating outside the body, such as drugs or external toxins.

Extrapyramidal

Referring to motor pathways outside the pyramidal tract, often affected by antipsychotic drugs.

Feedback

A regulatory process where the output of a system influences its activity or input.

Fermentation

The metabolic process where microorganisms convert sugars into alcohol, gases, or acids.

Flashback

A spontaneous recurrence of a hallucinogenic experience after the drug's effects have worn off.

Formication Syndrome

A sensation of insects crawling under the skin, often associated with drug withdrawal or intoxication.

Free Association

A psychoanalytic technique where a person says whatever comes to mind to uncover unconscious thoughts.

Freebase

A purified form of a drug, such as cocaine, that can be smoked for rapid effects.

Functional Tolerance

Reduced sensitivity to a drug due to adaptations in the nervous system.

GABA

Gamma-aminobutyric acid, the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain.

General Anesthesia

A medically induced state of unconsciousness used during surgery.

Glutamate

The primary excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain, involved in learning and memory.

Guaifenesin

An expectorant used to thin mucus and ease coughing.

Half-Life

The time it takes for the concentration of a drug in the body to reduce by half.

Hallucination

A sensory experience without external stimuli, such as seeing or hearing something that isn’t there.

Hypnosis

A trance-like state of heightened suggestibility, focus, and relaxation.

Inferior Colliculi

Brain structures involved in auditory processing and spatial localization of sound.

Initial Sensitivity

An individual’s first reaction to a drug, influenced by genetics and physiology.

Insomnia

Difficulty falling or staying asleep.

Interact

When two or more substances, such as drugs, affect each other's efficacy or side effects.

Interpretation

In psychoanalysis, the analyst’s explanation of a patient’s unconscious thoughts and feelings.

Intoxication

The physical and psychological effects of consuming a drug, often impairing judgment and motor skills.

Ionotropic Receptors

Receptors that open ion channels directly when a neurotransmitter binds, allowing rapid signaling.

Lethal Dose

The dose of a drug that causes death in a specific percentage of a population.

LSD

A hallucinogenic drug (lysergic acid diethylamide) that causes altered perceptions and sensory experiences.

Manifest Content

In Freudian dream theory, the literal storyline of a dream as remembered by the dreamer.

Mescaline

A hallucinogenic compound derived from peyote cactus, affecting serotonin receptors.

Metabolism

The chemical processes by which the body converts drugs into active or inactive forms.

Metabotropic Receptors

Receptors that activate secondary messenger systems when a neurotransmitter binds, leading to slower, longer-lasting effects.

Methamphetamine

A highly addictive stimulant that affects the central nervous system, leading to increased energy and euphoria.

Milieu Treatment

A therapeutic approach using the environment as part of the treatment, often in residential facilities.

Narcolepsy

A sleep disorder characterized by uncontrollable sleep attacks.

Narcotic

A drug that relieves pain and induces sleep, often referring to opioids.