ps333 exam #1

people-centered language

words used to describe individuals with substance use disorders that can help to reduce stigma and improve treatment

substance use disorder (SUD)

mental health condition that affects a person’s brain + behavior, leading to inability to control their use of substances

origins of alcohol

earliest record of beer brewing in 10,000 BCE

origins of opium

as early as Sumerians of Mesopotamia

origins of cocaine

synthesized in 1859, used by Sigmund Freud for himself + his patients, in Coca Cola, medicine, Vin Miriani, etc

origins of heroin

synthesized in 1874 by Bayer as a cure for morphine + cocaine addiction

Gin Act (England, 1736)

tax imposed by government to manage Gin craze; ineffective + unpopular, overturned in 1743

Opium Ban (China, 1763)

China prohibited opium, leading to Opium wars; Britain won

Harrison Narcotics Tax Act (U.S, 1914)

regulated + taxed production, importation, and distribution of opiates and coca products; only required dr’s prescription so not very effective

Prohibition of Alcohol (U.S, 1920-1933)

constitutional ban of alcoholic beverages; overturned

Prohibition of Cigarettes (U.S, 1921)

only in 14 states, obv didn’t work

drug scheduling

categorizing licit + illicit drugs based on misuse potential and medical utilization (I being highest misuse + VI being lowest misuse)

Schedule I

highest misuse potential, no accepted medical use; heroin, LSD

Schedule II

may have misuse potential, some medicinal value; morphine, methamphetamine, cocaine, + methadone

Schedule III

moderate/low misuse potential (high psychological dependence); anabolic steroids, codeine, hydrocodone, certain barbiturates

Schedule IV

limited misuse potential; valium + xanax

Schedule VI

lowest potential, low concentration; cough medicines w/ codeine

trend in alcohol + cigarettes

decline in recent years

trend in nicotine

via vaping has increased, more easily accessible, not seen as dangerous

trend in cannabis

increase, esp in states that legalized use

trend methamphetamine

usage has increased, cheaper than cocaine, pure + potent

first wave of opioid-induced overdose deaths

wave of deaths as a result of overprescription by physicians

second wave of opioid-induced overdose deaths

wave of deaths as a result of lack of misuse of new oxytocin formula causing ppl to seek heroin instead

third wave of opioid-induced overdose deaths

wave of deaths as a result of synthetic opioids (fentanyl)

fourth wave of opioid-induced overdose deaths

wave of deaths as a result of a mix of methamphetamines w/ fentanyl (meth w/ opioids)

major stimulants

amphetamine, cocaine, methamphetamines

minor stimulants

caffeine, nicotine

antipsychotics

thorazine, chorpromazine

antidepressants

prozac

anxiolytic

anxiety-reducing, valium

sedative-hypnotics

alcohol, CNS depressants, barbiturates

hallucinogens

LSD, psychedelic + non-psychedelic

chemical name

provides complete description of a particular molecule according to the rules of organic chemistry

generic name

indicates its legal, official, or nonproprietary name listed in the USP (acetaminophen)

brand/trade name

given by the manufacturer when marketed (Tylenol)

pharmacodynamics (PD)

relationship b/t drug concentration @ site of action + resulting effect, time course + intensity of therapeutic and adverse effects (effect of drugs on the body)

pharmacokinetics (PK)

time course of drug Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, + Excretion (ADME) (effect of the body on drugs)

dose-response curse (DRC)

visual representation of how the dose of a drug impacts the receptor activity (low doses = low effect bc of less receptors being taken up, high doses = high effect bc more receptors being taken up + greater biobehavioral response)

potency

strength of the drug

efficacy

ability of a drug to produce the maximal desired effect

leftward DRC shift

higher potency = stronger effect at a lower doses

rightward DRC shift

lower potency = weaker effect at higher doses

ED50 (effective dose)

the median effective dose in 50% of subjects tested

TD50 (toxic dose)

the median toxic dose in 50% of subjects tested (human + animal testing)

LD50 (lethal dose)

the median lethal dose is lethal in 50% of subjects tested (determined in animal models)

therapeutic index (TI)

ratio of median lethal dose to median effective dose that is used to calculate drug safety (LD50 / ED50); drug w/ higher TI = safer since there is more room for “error”

therapeutic window

range of blood concentrations b/t a level that is ineffective + a level that has toxic side effects; farther the toxic level is from the therapeutic level, the larger the therapeutic window + safer the drug

antagonistic effect

one drug diminishes the effect of another drug; shift DRC to the right = less potency

additive effect

one drug increases the effect of another drug; shift DRC to the left = more potency (1 + 1 = 2)

potentiating effect

combining drugs increases the potency beyond simple additivity; seen commonly w/ recreational use (1+ 1 = 20)

Absorption

how does a drug get into the blood?; how and where drug is administered determines how quickly + how completely the drug is absorbed into the blood

bioavailability

extent to which a substance/drug becomes completely available to its intended biological destination(s)

Distribution

where does the drug go in the body?

Metabolism

how is the drug altered/broken down by the body?

first pass metabolism

process in which drug administered by mouth is absorbed from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract + transported via the portal vein to the liver, where it is metabolized

biotransformation

process of altering a drug into forms that make it possible for the body to excrete

metabolite

a by-product resulting from the biotransformation process

detoxification

metabolic process of breaking down toxic drugs

enzymes

break down the drug into other compounds, CYO450, alcohol dehydrogenase

factors affecting liver metabolism

stimulation of enzyme systems, depression of enzyme systems, + substances that block enzymes

Excretion

how does the drug leave the body; sweat/urine via kidneys if drug is polar, stool if nonpolar

oral (PO)

drug is received via the mouth (to stomach), drug must pass thru intestinal wall + thru capillary wall to get into the blood; relatively safe but delayed + variable absorption

inhalation

drug is received via the lungs; rapid availability but can cause irritation + possible overdose

intravenous (IV)

drug is received via needle into bloodvein; rapid availability since it enters bloodstream directly but difficult to administer by self + possible overdose

intramuscular (IM)

drug is received via needle into muscle; prolonged + reliable absorption but possibility of contamination + infection from needles

transdermal

drug is absorbed by skin; prolonged + reliable absorption, local irritation, variable absorption, more difficult to regular blood levels

subcutaneous (SC)

drug is injected into layer of fat right below the skin, prolonged + reliable absorption but patient admin is difficult + possible contamination + infection from needles

intraperitoneal (IP)

drug is injected into cavity in the abdomen, possibility of damage to internal organs and mostly done on animals

blood brain barrier (BBB)

highly selective + semi-permeable border of cells that prevents substances in circulation blood from crossing into the central nervous system; tight barrier of endothelial cells + astrocytes without any gaps

two factors in crossing BBB

size + lipid solubility of drug; most psychoactive drugs are small + fat soluble = can pass thru BBB via passive transportation bc they are lipid soluble

half-life

length of time it takes for the blood concentration of a drug to be reduced by half

first-order drug clearance

constant fraction (50%) of free drug in the blood is removed during each half-life; surplus enzymes are available so rate is concentration-dependent (most drugs)

zero-order drug clearance

drug is cleared from the body @ a constant rate regardless of concentration

therapeutic dose monitoring

blood concentration of a drug that does not produce unwanted side effects while still achieving primary effect (AD = ME); half-life determines time needed to reach desired “steady state” (abt 2-5 half-lives)

1950s behavioral psych

research on brain’s role in normal + pathological behavior, operant analysis of drug effect, chlorpromazine + psychotherapeutic revolution

thorazine

first gen antipsychotic, first of its kind, led to closure of many psychiatric hospitals, targeted positive symptoms of schizophrenia (hallucinations + delusions)

experimental research

manipulates a variable and observes the effects of that manipulation on another variable, results imply causation

experimental research design

controls groups + experimental groups; three groups design adds positive control to account for placebo effects; group 1 = experimental drug, group 2 = placebo, group 3 = established drug

non-experimental research

looks for relationship/correlation b/t 2 events, does not imply cause, easily influenced by confounding variables

directionality issue

can’t prove what caused what

spurious correlations

false correlations

animal models

model organism is a non-human species that is extensively studied to understand particular biological phenomena; used when human experimentation would be unfeasible or unethical; cannot capture full complexity of human behavior

conditioned behavior

learned behavior; used to reveal what happens in the brain in progression to addiction

unconditioned behavior

unlearned behavior

uncondtioned behavioral tests

open field test( spontaneous motor activity + anxiety), elevated maze (anxiety), incline plane (muscle tone), hot plate (analgesia, perception of pain), + observations of various stereotyped behavior

classical conditioning

form of associative learning, process by which an association b/t 2 stimuli is established that leads to a reflexive action

operant conditioning

form of associative learning, learning relationship b/t a behavior + a consequence, requires active response

Thorndike’s Puzzle Box

test of operant conditioning, put cat in box and place fish outside to motivate cat to get out, more trials = cat figures out lever inside box opens door

Skinner’s Skinner Box

test of operant conditioning, rat learns association b/t pressing a lever + receiving a reinforcer (drug or food); behavior will occur w/ more frequency if positively reinforced + will extinguish if reinforcer is removed or behavior is punished

reinforcement

strengthening of the behavior that leads to drug consumption

reward

positive experience associated w/ the drug; subjective pleasureable experience in the brain

drug self-administration

operant conditioning in animal models for SUD, accurate indicator of misuse potential in humans; only method that measures reinforcing effect of drugs

conditioned place preference (CPP)

form of classical conditioning that measures animal’s preference for certain compartment (neutral or reward) + measures misuse potential of drug based on how much time animal spends in drug compartment after conditioning (w/o drug present)

Intravenous Self-Administration (IVSA)

accurate indicator for misuse potential in humans, measures the reinforcing effect of drugs by allowing animal to chose drug or non-drug to receive intravenously

Fixed Ration Schedule (FR)

active drug + inactive (saline) lever, number of times an animal has to lever press doesn’t change throughout experiment; misuse liability is determined by comparing active vs inactive lever presses

Progressive Ratio Schedule (PR)

animal must work to receive drug infusions on a schedule that becomes increasingly demanding; harder the animal is willing to work for drug, higher the break point + thus the greater drug’s potential for misuse

break point

behavioral demand exceeds drug’s reinforcement value; demand to receive reinforcer becomes too high + animal gives up

Intracranial Self Administration (ICSS)

allow animal to self-administer a weak electrical current into discrete brain areas via an indwelling electrode, causing local NT release

effects of drug pretreatment on ICSS

lvl of current required went down after exposure drugs, drug has potentiating effect = likely acting on the same area of brain as electrode (synergistic relationship), drug enhances brain reward mechanisms

optogenetics technique

highly specific method of expressing light-activated ion channels on specific neurons in particular brain regions (like DA-VTA) that can activate or inhibit populations of neurons