Drugs and Behavior - Vocabulary Flashcards (Exam 1 Study Guide)

Key terms and concepts from Chapters 1-5 (Introduction to drug use through Drug Action) covered in the lecture notes, focusing on definitions and core ideas for exam preparation.

Tolerance

A state in which repeated exposure to a drug reduces its effects, requiring larger doses for the same effect.

Pharmacokinetic tolerance

Tolerance due to changes in drug metabolism or disposition that reduce the drug’s effect.

Pharmacodynamic tolerance

Tolerance resulting from changes in the nervous system, such as receptor down-regulation or changes in receptor sensitivity.

Behavioral tolerance

Tolerance developed through learning and adaptation to the drug’s effects, reducing impairment.

Withdrawal

A cluster of symptoms that occur when a dependent user stops taking a drug.

Dependence

A state in which drug use becomes frequent and stopping is difficult, often with withdrawal symptoms.

Drug misuse

Using drugs or chemicals in greater amounts or for longer than prescribed, or for non-medical reasons.

Drug abuse

Use that causes social, occupational, psychological, or physical problems.

Gateway substances

Early indicators of a pattern of future drug use; not necessarily causal for later drug use.

Correlate

A variable that is related to another variable; correlation does not imply causation.

Correlation

A relationship where two factors move together; does not prove one causes the other.

Antecedent

A factor that occurs before initiation of drug use and can help explain relationships, though not necessarily causal.

Gateway substances as antecedents

Substances that may signal a pattern of future drug use rather than directly causing it.

Incentive Salience

Craving or wanting; the motivational 'wanting' attributed to drug cues, often subconscious.

Negative Affect

Depression, anxiety, and negative thoughts that can influence drug use.

Executive Function

Self-control and long-term decision-making abilities that can affect drug use and relapse.

Neuron

Nerve cell that transmits information; about 85–100 billion in the brain; has dendrites, cell body, axon, and axon terminals.

Glia

these cells that provide support, nutrients, waste removal, myelin, and the blood-brain barrier; make up most brain cells. Provides firmenss and structure to the brain (and make up 90% of it)

Dendrites

Branch-like structures that receive signals from other neurons.

Cell body (soma)

Contains the nucleus; integrates and interprets signals.

Axon

Long projection that conducts electrical impulses to the axon terminals.

Axon terminals

end-tufts that release neurotransmitters into the synapse.

Synapse

The gap between neurons where neurotransmitters are released to transfer signals.

Neurotransmitters

Chemical messengers that transmit signals across the synapse; major ones include dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine, GABA, and endogenous opioids.

Dopamine

Neurotransmitter involved in pleasure and reward; many drugs increase this neurotransmitter in the reward pathway.

Serotonin

Neurotransmitter involved in mood, sleep, and sexual desire; affected by MDMA and LSD.

Norepinephrine

Neurotransmitter involved in arousal and attention; part of the fight/flight response.

GABA

Primary inhibitory neurotransmitter; reduces neuronal activity; targeted by alcohol and benzodiazepines.

Endogenous opioids

Natural opioid peptides (endorphins) involved in analgesia and reward.

Blood-brain barrier

Protective barrier that restricts passage of many substances from blood into the brain.

Autonomic Nervous System

Regulates involuntary actions; contains sympathetic and parasympathetic branches.

Sympathetic nervous system

Fight-or-flight branch; increases arousal (e.g., heart rate via norepinephrine).

Parasympathetic nervous system

Rest-and-digest branch; promotes relaxation and energy conservation (acetylcholine).

Somatic Nervous System

Controls voluntary movements and conveys sensory information to the CNS.

Central Nervous System

Brain and spinal cord; integrates information, learning, memory, and coordinated activity.

Agonist

A drug that mimics a neurotransmitter and activates the receptor.

Antagonist

A drug that binds to a receptor but does not activate it, blocking the neurotransmitter.

Synthesis (neurotransmitter)

Production of a neurotransmitter from precursor molecules.

Storage (neurotransmitter)

Packaging of neurotransmitters into synaptic vesicles for release.

Release (neurotransmitter)

Release of neurotransmitters into the synapse in response to an action potential.

Reuptake

Reabsorption of neurotransmitters back into the presynaptic neuron.

Metabolism (neurotransmitter)

Enzymatic breakdown of neurotransmitters, reducing their activity.

Dose-Response Curve

Graph of the size of a response to the amount of drug administered; threshold is the first observable effect; ceiling is the maximum effect.

LD50

Lethal dose for 50% of subjects in a test; a standard measure of toxicity.

Routes of administration

Ways of taking drugs: inhalation (smoking), injection, intranasal (snorting), oral (ingestion), subcutaneous, transdermal, etc.

Naloxone

Opioid receptor antagonist used to reverse opioid overdose.

Safety margin

Difference between the dose that produces the desired effect and the dose that causes unacceptable adverse effects.

Enzyme induction

Increased production of drug-metabolizing enzymes, leading to faster drug metabolism and reduced effects.

Drug deactivation

Ways a drug can stop working: unchanged elimination, metabolic change, or antagonism (e.g., naloxone) reducing activity.

Double-blind

Study design in which neither participants nor researchers know who receives the drug versus placebo.

Placebo

An inert substance used as a control; expectancy effects can produce real perceived changes.

Specific effects

Pharmacological effects produced by the drug’s interaction with receptors.

Nonspecific effects

Effects arising from expectations, context, or placebo rather than the drug’s pharmacology.

Categories of drugs (stimulants, depressants, opioids, hallucinogens/psychedelics, psychotherapeutics)

Major broad classes used to categorize drugs by their primary effects on the CNS.

Cocaine

Stimulant derived from the coca plant; blocks reuptake of dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin; commonly used in powder or crack forms; short half-life (~1 hour).

Fastest to slowest ways to get high

1. Inhalation

2. Intravenous (injection)

3. Insufflation (snorting)

4. Intramuscular injection

5. Subcutaneous (placed on the skin)

6. Oral ingestion (eating)

Ataxia

Impaired coordination