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Explain the neural basis of addiction.
Normal, non-drug circumstances - the reward system responds to healthy, pleasurable
activities by releasing the neurotransmitter dopamine, which teaches other parts of the brain
to repeat those activities.
● With drug use - drugs take control releasing large amounts of dopamine - first in response to
the drug but later in response to cues associated with the drug even stimulate dopamine
release.
● The brain remembers this feeling and sends out an intense motivation to seek and use the
drug again.
● dopamine release associated with drug use reinforces the desire to use drugs.
● Dopamine is how addiction begins but the changes in dopamine and other systems create
the addiction.
What is a stimulant? (Slide 4)
Stimulants: drugs that increase arousal, attention, increase focus on things in the
environment that might be either rewarding or threatening
- illegal stimulants: drugs used for the “high” or feeling of reward or pleasure
● Examples: cocaine and Methamphetamine
- Legal Stimulants: drugs prescribed by a physician typically to treat Attention
Deficit Hyperactive Disorder
● Examples: amphetamine and Methylphenidate
What are synthetic stimulants? (Slide 5)
Synthetic drugs are made in labs.
● People cannot assess the dose.
How quickly is the brain affected when someone administers a stimulant? (Slide 6)
The intensity of psychological effects of stimulants depends on the dose and rate of entry
to the brain
- Snorted – 3 to 5 minutes, and the resulting rush or “high” may not be perceived as
immediate
- Intravenous - 15 to 30 seconds
- Smoking - almost an immediate effect
How are legal stimulants prescribed by doctors different from illegal stimulants? (Slide 7)
Pharmacologically there is not much difference.
● The difference goes back to how the stimulant is taken
● The intensity of the psychological effects from stimulants depends on the dose and rate
of entry into the brain.
● amphetamine is legal and is produced in a federally regulated environment, prescribed by
a doctor, and taken in controlled, small doses for slow absorption by the body.
● Methamphetamine is produced in an unregulated environment, taken in uncontrolled
doses in various ways and illicitly sold in non-pharmaceutical grade containing all sorts of
chemicals with harmful pharmacological properties.
What are the dangers of taking pills that are not prescribed specifically for you and/or are from
non-prescription sources?
You don’t know how much is there
● You don’t know what ELSE is there
● There are plenty of counterfeit pills
● A drug in the form of a pill doesn’t mean it is automatically safe
Take a few notes on the video about prescription stimulants. (Slide 9)
- presecption stimulants are often used for people with ADHD
U3L6 Student Guide 3
- people misuse these stimulants to get better grades, be alert, etc. but there are no studies to
back this up for non-ADHD people
- misuing stimulants can make you addicted and you could go into withdrawal
Drugs attach to receptors
● Drugs have different effects on the brain
● Drugs are classified based on the receptors that they affect as well as their pyshicological
impact on the brain and body
● Almost all drugs work in the brain by attaching to a “receptor” that the brain uses for
regular neurotransmitters
● Not all of the released dopamine binds to the target neuron's receptors so there is extra.
● The extra dopamine may be chemically deactivated, or it may be quickly reabsorbed by
the releasing neuron through a system called the dopamine reuptake transporter.
● As soon as the extra dopamine has been deactivated or reabsorbed, the two cells are
"reset," with the releasing neuron prepared to send another chemical signal and the
target neuron prepared to receive it.
How do cocaine and methamphetamine affect the brain?
Cocaine prevents the reuptake of dopamine where it is being released (blocking the
reuptake receptor). It also prevents the reuptake of serotonin and norepinephrine.
● Methamphetamine causes a spill of dopamine and norepinephrine wherever it’s available
to be released.
Stimulants activate the release of norepinephrine (also known as noradrenaline), the
neurotransmitter responsible for activating the fight or flight response.
Stimulants activate the release of norepinephrine (also known as noradrenaline), the
neurotransmitter responsible for activating the fight or flight response.
How does an increase in dopamine make someone feel?
Cocaine and methamphetamine incresse the amount of available dopamine in the brain,
which leads to mood elevation
- Feelings of euphoria, elation, and excitement
● Cocaine = effects are short-lived
● methamphetamine = duration of effect is longer
List 2 immediate effects of stimulants.
mood elevation, feelings of excitement
- inhibits digestion, reduces food intake, and sleep time
List at least 1 chronic effect of stimulants.
neurological impairments and cognitive deficits
Take a few notes on the video that explains how the body responds to methamphetamine? (Slide
18)
- methamphetamine is a stimulant that makes you feel extra energized
- methamphetamine is also called meth, speed, crystal and ice
- most meth is made in big labs but some people try to make them at home using chemicals and
cold medicines
- cooking these chemicals can make toxic fumes and explosions
15. List the steps involved in the Use Cycle.
1. user takes the drug
2. the RUSH: immediate and intense effects, especially if smoked or injected
3. drug level in the brain decreases and dopamine levels begin to return to normal
4. the CRASH: the rush and pleasurable feelings quickly fade
5. to avoid the crash, the user will administer another dose
What is bingeing and tweaking?
bingeing - a pattern of frequently repeated dosing that may last for up to 3 sleepless days
- user may not eat and may lapse into a severe depression, followed by worsening
paranoia and aggression which is also known as tweaking
● Tweaking - usually ends when the user depelets their supply of stimulants and collapses
from sheer exhaustion
U3L6 Student Guide 5
● After a binge, the stimulant user may sleep for several days, only to awaken and begin the
cycle again
