15 - Drug Use, Drug Addiction, and the Brain's Reward Circuits

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Pharmacological

Pertaining to drugs—its’ study and effects

Psychoactive Drugs

Drugs that affect the (central) nervous system and alters mood, perception, or behavior

drug metabolism

The chemical alteration of drugs by the body, primarily in the liver, converting them into forms that can be excreted

drug tolerance

a reduced response to a drug after repeated use, requiring higher doses to achieve the same effect

cross tolerance

tolerance to one drug that reduces sensitivity to another drug, often with similar effects

Drug Sensitization

An increased response (sensitivity) to a drug following repeated use

Metabolic Tolerance

Tolerance caused by increase metabolism of the drug, leading to faster elimination

Functional Tolerance

Tolerance due to changes in reactivity of the body’s site of action for the drug

Withdrawal Syndrome

Symptoms that occur after stopping or reducing intake of a drug to which the body has become dependent

Physically dependent

A state where the body requires a drug to function normally, and withdrawal symptoms occur without it

Drug-addicted individual

A person exhibiting compulsive drug use despite harmful consequences

Contingent Drug Tolerance

Tolerance that develops only to drug effects experienced during drug use—what they do when they’re using

Conditioned drug tolerance

Tolerance that develops in response to environmental cues associated with drug use—where they are when they’re using

Conditioned compensatory responses

Physiological reactions triggered by drug-related cues that counteract the drug’s effects

Exteroceptive stimuli

External environmental cues that can become associated with drug use

Interoceptive stimuli

Internal bodily cues that can become associated with drug use

Nicotine

A stimulant drug found in tobacco that is highly addictive

Drug craving

An intense desire to use a drug, often triggered by cues or withdrawal

Smoker’s syndrome

Respiratory symptoms caused by chronic smoking

Buerger’s disease

A disease involving blood vessel inflammation linked to smoking

Teratogen

A drug that causes birth defects during fetal development

Depressant

A drug that reduces neural activity and slows body functions

Delirium Tremens (DTs)

Severe withdrawal symptoms from alcohol, including tremors and hallucinations

Korsakoff’s Syndrome

A memory disorder caused by chronic alcoholism and thiamine deficiency

Cirrhosis

Liver damage caused by chronic alcohol abuse

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)

Developmental Abnormalities in Children cause by prenatal alcohol exposure

Cannabis

A psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant, containing THC

THC (tetrahydrocannabinol)

The main psychoactive component of cannabis

Hashish

A concentrated resin from the cannabis plant

Narcotic

Drugs that relieve pain and induce sleep, often opioids

Anandamide

An endogenous cannabinoid neurotransmitter

Stimulants

Drugs that increase neural activity and arousal

Cocaine

A powerful stimulant drug derived from coca leaves

Crack

A smokable, potent form of cocaine

cocaine sprees

A period of excessive cocaine use

Cocaine Psychosis

Psychotic symptoms induced by high doses of cocaine

amphetamine

A stimulant drug that increase dopamine release

Empathogens

Drugs that enhance feelings of empathy and emotional connection

Dopamine transporters

Proteins that regulate dopamine levels by reuptake into neurons

Opium

A narcotic derived from the opium poppy

Morphine

An opioid analgesic derived from opium

Codeine

A milder opioid used for pain relief and cough suppression

Opioids

A class of drugs that act on opioid receptors to relieve pain

Analgesics

Drugs that relieve pain

Harrison Narcotics Act

A 1914 U.S. law regulating and taxing the production and distribution of opiates

Heroin

An illegal opioid derived from morphine, highly addictive

Physical-dependence theories of addiction

Theories emphasizing avoidance of withdrawal symptoms as motivation for drug use

Positive-incentive theories of addiction

theories focusing on the craving for the pleasurable effects of drugs

Intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS)

A procedure where animals self-administer electrical stimulation to brain reward areas

Drug self-administration paradigm

An experimental model where animals administer drugs to themselves

Conditioned place-preference paradigm

A behavioral test measuring preference for an environment associated with drug effects

Relapse

The return to drug use after a period of abstinence

Anhedonia

The inability to experience pleasure, often during withdrawal

Positive-incentive value

the anticipated pleasure or reward from drug use

Hedonic value

the actual pleasure experienced from drug use

Incentive-sensitization theory

A theory that addiction results from increased sensitivity to drug-related cues

Drug Priming

Exposure to a small amount of a(formerly used) drug triggers relapse

incubation of drug craving

The phenomenon where craving increases over time after drug cessation