Drugs & Behavior Test 1

Drug Action

How a drug works at the molecular level.

Specific Drug Effect

The intended therapeutic effect of a drug.

Non-Specific Drug Effect

Drug effects influenced by factors like expectations or mood.

Pharmacokinetics

How the body processes the drug (ADME).

Pharmacodynamics

How the drug affects the body (mechanism of action).

Advantages of Oral Administration

Safe, convenient.

Disadvantages of Oral Administration

Slow onset, subject to first-pass metabolism.

First-Order Kinetics

A constant percentage of the drug is metabolized over time.

Zero-Order Kinetics

A constant amount of drug is metabolized over time.

Half-Life

Time it takes for 50% of the drug to be eliminated.

ED50

The dose at which 50% of the population experiences the desired effect.

Therapeutic Index (TI)

The ratio of TD50 to ED50, indicating the drug's safety margin.

Agonist

Activates a receptor to produce a biological response.

Antagonist

Blocks a receptor to prevent its activation.

Astrocytes

Support neurons and maintain the blood-brain barrier.

Oligodendrocytes

Form the myelin sheath in the CNS.

Microglia

Act as immune cells in the CNS.

Dendrites

Receive signals from other neurons.

Ionotropic Receptors

Fast-acting, open ion channels directly.

Metabotropic Receptors

Slower, activate second messengers.

EPSP

Depolarizes the cell, making it more likely to fire.

IPSP

Hyperpolarizes the cell, making it less likely to fire.

SNARE Proteins

Help vesicles fuse with the presynaptic membrane for neurotransmitter release.

Autoreceptors

Inhibit neurotransmitter release by reducing presynaptic cell firing.

HPA Axis

A feedback loop that regulates the stress response via cortisol release.

Sympathetic Nervous System

"Fight or flight" responses, uses norepinephrine.

Parasympathetic Nervous System

"Rest and digest" responses, uses acetylcholine.

Telencephalon

Includes the cerebral cortex, involved in decision-making.

Limbic System

Involved in emotion and memory, includes the amygdala and hippocampus.

Catecholamines

Examples include dopamine, norepinephrine, epinephrine.

Dopamine Pathways

Examples include mesolimbic (reward) and nigrostriatal (movement).

Dopamine Receptors

D1 & D5 are excitatory, D2, D3, D4 are inhibitory.

Norepinephrine Receptors

α1 (excitatory), α2 (inhibitory), β1 & β2 (excitatory).

Serotonin Receptors

5-HT1A is inhibitory, 5-HT2A is excitatory.

Acetylcholine Precursors

Choline and Acetyl-CoA.

Nicotinic Receptors

Ionotropic acetylcholine receptors.

Muscarinic Receptors

Metabotropic acetylcholine receptors.

Glutamate

Main excitatory neurotransmitter in the CNS.

GABA

Main inhibitory neurotransmitter in the CNS.

DSM-IV Definition of Addiction

Compulsive drug-seeking behavior with tolerance and withdrawal symptoms.

Substance Use Disorder

A continuum of problematic drug use that impairs life.

Tolerance

Reduced response to a drug after repeated use.

Sensitization

Increased response to a drug after repeated use.

Dopamine Release During Drug Use

Occurs in the nucleus accumbens.

Amygdala

Drives drug-seeking behavior by causing cravings and withdrawal avoidance.

Two Stages of Cognitive Withdrawal

Acute withdrawal (physical symptoms) and protracted withdrawal (psychological symptoms).

Conditioned Place Preference (CPP)

A behavioral task to measure drug reward by associating a location with drug use.

Self-Administration

An animal behavior task where the animal administers the drug to itself, modeling addiction.

Tracers

Used to map connections between brain regions (anterograde and retrograde).

In Vivo Microdialysis

A method for measuring neurotransmitter levels in live animals.

Fast-Scan Cyclic Voltammetry (FSCV)

A technique to measure rapid changes in neurotransmitter concentrations in real-time.

Types of Brain Scans

Examples include MRI (structure), fMRI (function), PET (metabolism), CT (structure), EEG (electrical activity).

Nigrostriatal Tract

Substantia Nigra—>Caudate Nucleus

Tuberohypophyseal Pathway

Hypothalmus—> Pituitary

Mesolimbic Pathway

VTA—>Amydala

Mesocortical Pathway

VTA—> Cortex