Psych 245 Drugs and Behavior Exam 1

What is an ED50? An LD50? A therapeutic index?

ED50: -the dose of a drug required to produce a ½ maximal effect -the dose of a drug required to produce a given effect in 50% of the individuals tested LD50: -the dose of a drug required to produce lethality in 50% of the individuals tested therapeutic index: -the ratio of the LD50 of a drug and the ED50 of a particular effect (LD50/ED50)

How is brain damage assessed? Consider the various ways of imaging the brain

EEG- used to measure electrical activity in the brain computerized axial tomography (CAT scan)- produces a 3D x-ray of the brain Positron- emission tomography (PET)- used to measure activity in selected brain regions magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)- creates a high resolution, 3D image of the brain

What is a double-blind

Neither the subject nor the experimenter knows which condition (drug or placebo) the subject is in

What are the three monamine neurotransmitters, and what are their functions? How do they relate to disorders like Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia and depression

Norepinephrine- helps regulate hunger and eating (aka noradrenaline) Dopamine- deficiency of dopamine may be product of Parkinson's disease Serotonin- helps people fall asleep and manage pain

reticular activating system function

regulates alertness and arousal

hypothalamus function

regulates eating, drinking, and other basic biological drives

What is a reinforcer? A punisher? How are these operant principles used to help understand drug dependence

reinforcer: a consequence of a behavior that increases its future likelihood punisher: a consequence of a behavior that decreases its future likelihood

what are the pharmacological and non-pharmacological factors that help us to understand the drug experience

set 1 pharmacological: -chemical properties and action on the body of the drug used -drug dosage -route of drug administration set 2 non-pharmacological: -characteristics of the drug user (genetic makeup, gender, age, drug tolerance, behavior) set 3 non-pharmacological: -setting in which the drug is used

What are the major ways that drugs affect neural transmission

some drugs interact with transmitter production or transport, some drugs affect the ability of the vesicles to store neurotransmitter substances, some drugs can enhance the release of neurotransmitter substances into the synapse

how are drugs classified

some of the major ways drugs are classified: -by origin (ex: plants that come from plants) -by therapeutic use/ how its used to treat something in the body (ex: amphetamines are called appetite-suppressant drugs) -by site of drug action (ex: alcohol affects central nervous system) -by chemical structure -by mechanism of action -by street name (ex: amphetamines are called "speed")

Consider drug interactions. What is synergism (also called potentiation)? How else can drugs interact

synergism is any enhancing drug interaction

What drugs were targeted by the Synthetic Drug Abuse Prevention Act

synthetic compounds commonly found in synthetic marijuana and stimulants

What is neurogenesis and how is it related to depression

the birth of new neurons. serotonin is used to treat depression and serotonin increases the amount of neurogenesis occurring

what are the estimated economic costs of drug and alcohol use

the estimated cost of alcohol abuse was about $235 billion, and the estimated cost of drug abuse was $193 billion. totaled to more than $428 billion

What is the synapse? What happens there

the junction between two neurons.

what is polydrug abuse

the same person's regular use of more than one drug

psychology

the scientific study of behavior

pharmacology

the scientific study of drugs concerned with all info about the effects of drugs on living systems

psychopharmacology

the subarea of pharmacology the concerns the effects of drugs an behavior

What is the blood-brain barrier

the system that "filters" the blood before it enters the brain

-ergic

transmitter as adjective

what was the significance of the 1914 Harrison Act

was passed as a consequence of the US signing the Hague Convention of 1912. the act strictly regulated, but did not prohibit, the legal supply of certain drugs, particularly the opiates. required licensing to market and prescribe drugs

what are some issues relating to drug information available on the internet? use a search engine to find some drug-related web sites. try to evaluate these sites using the criteria specified in table 1-5

webpages are not monitored for accuracy and currency

what were the Opium Wars and who won them

Opium Wars were armed conflicts between China and Great Britain in the mid-19th century. British were unwilling to curtail the trade of opium into China. Chinese gov't destroyed large shipments of opium being brought into China by British and American traders. British won

consider the controversy surrounding drug testing in the workplace and at home

accuracy of drug tests, results of drug tests relating to work performance, etc.

What is an agonist? An antagonist

agonist activates receptor, antagonist blocks receptor

consider the earliest forms of drug use. what drugs were the first to be used? how were drugs spread worldwide

alcohol and plants with psychoactive properties

drug abuse

any use of drugs that causes physical, psychological

What is the significance of the 2009 Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act

authorized the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to regulate the manufacture, marketing, and sale of tobacco products

What is a neuron? Be able to identify its parts

basic building blocks of the nervous system

drug

broadly defined as any chemical entity or mixture of entities not required for the maintenance of health but that alters biological function or structure when administered

What is a chemical name? Brand name? Generic name? Why do consumers seem to prefer generic versions of prescription drugs

chemical name: the name given to a drug that represents its chemical structure brand name: the commercial name given to a drug by its manufacturer generic name: the general name given to a drug that is shorter, and usually easier to say, than its chemical name generic drugs are usually cheaper and more easily accessible

What is cross-tolerance? Behavioral tolerance? Reverse tolerance?

cross tolerance: tolerance to a drug or drugs never taken that results from protracted tolerance to another drug or drugs Behavioral tolerance: adjustment of behavior through experience in using a drug to compensate for its intoxicating effects Reverse tolerance: increased sensitivity to a drug with repeated use of it

Contrast dispositional and functional tolerance. Contrast acute and protracted tolerance

dispositional tolerance is an increase in the rate of metabolizing a drug as a result of its regular use, while functional tolerance is the decreased behavioral effects of a drug as a result of regular use acute tolerance is a type of functional tolerance that occurs within a course of action of a single drug dose, while protracted tolerance occurs over the course of two or more administrations

what is drug tolerance? what is a withdrawal or abstinence syndrome?

drug tolerance: generally, increased amounts of a drug needed to achieve intoxication, or a diminished drug effect with continued use of the same amount of a drug withdrawal/abstinence syndrome: withdrawal- a definable illness that occurs with a cessation or decrease in use of drug syndrome- in medicine, a number of symptoms that occur together and characterize a specific illness of disease

How are drugs absorbed? Define bioavailability

drugs are absorbed into the bloodstream bioavailability is the portion of the original drug dose that reaches its site of action or that reaches a fluid in the body that gives the drug access to its site of action

MAO inhibitors

first antidepressants

what federal drug legislation was passed following the prohibition era

following prohibition, the Federal Bureau of Narcotics was established. lead to eradication of marijuana use and the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937

the lobes of the cerebral cortex function

frontal parietal occipital temporal

What ethical issues are raised in drug research with animals and humans?

human subjects must agree to participate in the study and must give consent without coercion

cerebellum function

important in motor control and coordination

hippocampus function

important in the formation of memories

medulla oblongata function

important in the regulation of breathing, heart rate, and other basic life functions

What are some characteristics of the user that contribute to the nature of drug effects

inherited differences in reactions to drugs, gender, weight, age, personality, drug expectancies and beliefs

What is the Single Convention

international treaty to prohibit production and supply of specific (nominally narcotic) drugs and of drugs with similar effects except under licence for specific purposes, such as medical treatment and research

In what sense is neural transmission an electrochemical event? Where is it electrical? Where chemical

involves and electrical message transporting from one neuron to another, and chemical substances being released into the synapse when the message reached the axon terminal

What was the 1986 Analogue Enforcement Act designed to prevent

monitored and regulated the distribution of chemical substances and other equipment needed for the preparation of illegal drugs. MDMA, GHB, Ketamine, roofies, meth, LSD

consider drug use in early America. what was the soldier's disease

morphine addiction

What is acetylcholine? What does it do

neurotransmitter linked with cognitive processes and memory that is found both in the brain and the autonomic nervous system

What is a neurotransmitter? A receptor site? Be able to trace the processes involved in neural transmission. Distinguish between ionotropic and metabotropic receptors

neurotransmitter: Chemicals that are stored in terminal buttons and released into the synapse to carry signals from one neuron to the next receptor cite: specialized structures located on dendrites and cell bodies for neurons that are activated by neurotransmitters ionotropic receptors: close or open ion channels metabotropic receptors: act through "second" messenger chemicals

What is a placebo? What are placebo effects

a placebo is a chemically inactive substance. placebo effects are non-pharmacological effects of drug administration

What is a dose-effect (response) curve? What is meant by efficacy? Potency?

a standard way of representing drug effects that result from taking different drug doses efficacy: the most intense, or peak, level of a drug effect potency: the minimum effective dose of a drug

mushrooms

-Discovered by native people -Chewed for chemicals -Those who consumed them experienced hallucinations -Mushrooms stones were used to show honor to the gods -Used in religions practices

marijuana

-Early people in China used the stocks of marijuana for pottery -Goes back at least 4,000 years

cocaine

-People dried the coca leaves and chewed them because it produced an exhilaration in them -Helped with altitude sickness

Consider the various explanations of tolerance

-cell adaptation theory -drug compensatory reactions and learning

What are the steps of the drug experience

1. a drug of specified chemical structure is present 2. a certain quantity of this drug is measured 3. this quantity of the drug is administered in one of a number of possible ways 4. the drug is absorbed into the blood and distributed to sites of action 5. some pharmacological effect is produced 6. in humans, a drug's pharmacological effects may be modified depending on characteristics of the person, such as genetic constitution, gender, age personality, and drug tolerance 7. the setting or context of drug use may also modify a drug's pharmacological effects

What steps must occur before a drug receives FDA approval and goes to market

1. belief that a clinical compound has clinical value 2. animal studies 3. experimental studies with healthy volunteers 4. rigorous experimental studies with clinical patients 5. broader clinical trials 6. licensing and marketing approval 7. after-marketing evaluation of clinical use

what were the earliest drug laws in the US? consider the San Francisco Ordinance and the Pure Food and Drug Act

San Francisco Ordinance (1875) was the only notable law regarding drug use in the 19th century- banned opium dens Pure Food and Drug Act (1906) was the first federal legislation of note- was designed to control opiate addiction

How and why are animals used in drug research? Consider particularly the self-administration, drug discrimination, and conflict procedures

Self-administration- uses a lever Drug discrimination- right level or left depending on which has the drug

How are drugs distributed to sites of action? What factors influence this

They are distributed through the blood stream, and then sent throughout the body

How are drug doses determined by pharmacologists

a drug dose is computed according to a person's body weight

review in detail the 1970 Controlled Substances Act. note the criteria defining the five schedules of controlled substances, and note examples of drugs in the various schedules

drugs are not classified by their pharmacological action but according to their medical use, their potential for abuse, and their likelihood for producing dependence schedule 1- no medical use, high abuse potential ex- heroin, LSD, marijuana schedule 2- medical use, high abuse potential ex- morphine, cocaine schedule 3- medical use, some abuse potential ex- barbs schedule 4- medical use, low abuse potential ex- valium, xanax schedule 5- medical use, very low abuse potential ex- cough medicine

How are drugs eliminated from the body? Define half-life. How long after use can drugs be detected in urine

drugs can be eliminated from the body either directly of by first being metabolized into pharmacologically inert, water-soluble by-products that are less likely to be reabsorbed half-life: the amount of time that must pass for the amount of drug in the body to be reduced by half

consider recent finding from the National Household Survey. what drugs are most widely used and what sub-group differences are apparent? what issues might affect accuracy of surveys?

drugs most widely used are alcohol and cigarettes in a distant second place. marijuana leads list of illicit drug use. individuals in age range of 18-25 have the most prevalent drug use men were almost 1 and 3/4 times as likely as women to report any illicit drug use and about 20% more likely to report alcohol use whites show the highest rate of alcohol use, followed by hispanics and blacks blacks showed highest use of illicit drugs, followed by whites and hispanics

what are the "club" drugs

drugs used by young adults at events like parties and raves

How are neurotransmitters deactivated

either reuptake or broken down by enzymes

What are the endorphins? What is GABA? Glutamate? What drugs affect the neurotransmitter anandamide

endorphins: neurotransmitters in the brain that are mimicked by opiate drugs GABA: most abundant inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain Glutamate: excitatory amino acid neurotransmitter *Marijuana appears to mimic the neurotransmitter anandamide

-ase

enzyme

What are the major routes of drug administration? Consider the advantages and disadvantages of each

oral: usually the safest and most convenient; presence of food may result in delayed absorption and a decrease in drug strength injection: faster absorption rate; can result in localized pain inhalation (smoke): fast and effective absorption; possible to inhale only a small amount of a drug in one inhalation intranasal (snort): can cause irritation to nasal septum sublingual (under tongue): faster and more efficient than oral; unpleasant taste transdermal (through the skin): unwanted gastrointestinal effects may occur

thalamus function

organizes sensory input

mesolimbic dopaminergic pathway function

pathway that is rewarding when stimulating

psychoactive drug

pertaining to effects on mood, thinking, and behavior

Differentiate pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics

pharmacokinetics: the branch of pharmacology that concerns the absorption, distribution, biotransformation, and excretion of drugs pharmacodynamics: the branch of pharmacology that concerns the biochemical and physiological effects of drugs and their mechanisms of action

substantia nigra function

produces dopamine

what were the effects of alcohol prohibition in the twenties

prohibited the production, sale, transportation, and importing of alcohol in any part of the US. the drug control experiment failed. effects included more extensive use of marijuana, a shift in drinking habits away from beer and towards distilled spirits, and creation of speakeasies

consider the 2013 DSM-V criteria for diagnosis of substance use disorder. what has changed in the move from DSM-IV to V? note that the phenomenon of drug dependence or addiction is not defined in DSM-V; how does Rinaldi define psychological dependence?

psychological dependence is defined as the emotional state of craving a drug either for its positive effect or to avoid negative effects associated with its abuse