Psychopharmacology Quiz 10 (Psychostimulants)

How long will the high from smoking a typical dose of crack cocaine (1 rock) generally last?

5 to 20 minutes

Activation of the sympathetic nervous system increases appetite.

False

Cocaine acts as an aphrodisiac.

False

Cocaine can induce acute hypothermia.

False

Formication, the imaginary sensation that hundreds of tiny bugs (e.g., "coke bugs," "meth bugs," and "snow bugs") are crawling under one's skin, is caused by the visual hallucinogenic effects of stimulants.

False

Methamphetamine and cocaine are the most widely used stimulant drugs in the world.

False

Methylphenidate (Ritaline) is rapidly absorbed into the brain.

False

Mice lacking the dopamine transporter system nevertheless self-administer cocaine.

False

Most cocaine abusers restrict drug abuse to cocaine.

False

Most cocaine-dependent persons use little alcohol.

False

The appetite-suppressant effect of amphetamine is highly resistant to tolerance.

False

Tolerance is not a sign of physical or psychological dependence.

False

Tolerance of stimulant drugs is caused by the brain's creation of more dopamine and more dopamine receptors, which increases the drug's rewarding effects.

False

True or false? Chronic high doses of amphetamines have not been shown to permanently damage the brain.

False

__________ of cocaine allows an intense but short-lived high, causing severe side effects and dependence.

Intravenous administration

Select the incorrect statement concerning "cocaethylene."

It enhances the cardiovascular toxicity of cocaine. It enhances the euphoria of cocaine. It is often found in the body of victims who overdosed on cocaine. Answer: It is a "designer" cocaine sold in the streets.

Which of the following was the first clinical use for amphetamines?

Treatment of nasal congestion

Cardiac side effects are the single greatest cause of premature deaths from cocaine.

True

Cocaine and amphetamine are subjectively virtually indistinguishable.

True

Cocaine and ethanol interact uniquely to form a pharmacologically active metabolite more toxic than cocaine.

True

Cocaine can markedly decrease oxygen supply to the brain.

True

Drugs work by influencing existing neurotransmitters, existing neurological pathways, and receptor sites in the central nervous system, including the reward pathway.

True

Heavy prolonged use of stimulants can induce a schizophrenic-like psychosis.

True

Of all the stimulants, the strongest physical and mental dependency develops from nicotine in tobacco.

True

Prolonged use of either cocaine or amphetamine can produce symptoms of toxic paranoid psychosis or paranoid schizophrenia.

True

True or false? "Freebasing" is a method of reducing impurities in cocaine and preparing it for smoking.

True

True or false? Amphetamine and cocaine have similar pharmacological effects.

True

True or false? Amphetamine drugs are relatively easy to synthesize if the chemicals are available.

True

True or false? Amphetamines were originally used in nasal inhalers.

True

True or false? At one time amphetamines were promoted as a treatment for schizophrenia, depression, hiccups, and schizophrenia.

True

When intravenously injected, Ritalin produces a cocaine-like "rush."

True

Ritalin is:

a nonamphetamine stimulant.

Cocaine acts through all of the following neurotransmitters, EXCEPT:

acetylcholine.

Sibutramine (Meridia) acts on all of the neurotransmitters, EXCEPT:

acetylcholine.

Cocaine dependency is most highly correlated with:

alcohol abuse.

The subjective effects of cocaine are indistinguishable from those of:

amphetamines.

The mechanism of cocaine's pharmacological action on the brain most closely resembles that of which of the following groups of drugs?

antidepressants

The acute effects of cocaine include all of the following, EXCEPT:

appetite suppression. increased desire for cocaine. euphoria. Answer: decreased desire for cocaine.

The therapeutic use(s) of amphetamine is(are):

both narcolepsy and ADHD.

On which part of the body does long-term use of stimulants (e.g., nicotine, cocaine, and methamphetamine) have the most significant impact?

cardiovascular system

Stereotypical behaviors result from:

chronic high doses of amphetamine.

Which of the following best describes "freebased" cocaine?

cocaine converted to a purer form for smoking

The accepted treatment for cocaine dependency is:

complicated and unclear, involving treatment of cocaine dependency and comorbid psychological disorders.

Ice is to methamphetamine as:

crack is to cocaine

Pseudoephedrine is a __________.

decongestant

Withdrawal symptoms of amphetamine dependency include all of the following, EXCEPT:

decreased energy. increased appetite. increased sleep. Answer: altered pain threshold.

One obvious clinical sign of cocaine usage is:

dilated pupils.

The positive reinforcing effects of amphetamine are most likely the result of action on the neurotransmitter:

dopamine.

The psychostimulants are thought to act most importantly through the following neurotransmitter:

dopamine.

Cocaine poorly crosses the mucosal membrane mainly because the:

drug is a potent vasoconstrictor.

The peripheral nervous system effects of amphetamine are probably the result of action on the neurotransmitter:

epinephrine.

Which of the following is least likely to be caused by chronic high doses of amphetamines?

extreme hunger

As opposed to powder cocaine, crack cocaine:

has a more rapid speed of onset.

The neurotransmitter most often involved in the use of strong stimulants is dopamine, which triggers feelings of

hunger satisfaction/satiety

The amphetamine, Ritalin, is used to treat __________.

hyperactive children

Cocaine's effects related to the cardiovascular system include all the following, EXCEPT:

increased blood flow to all brain sites.

The major mechanism of action of amphetamines is:

increased release of neurotransmitters.

Orally administered methylphenidate is less reinforcing than cocaine because it:

is absorbed more slowly.

The unique ester of benzoylecgonine is produced when enzymes in the:

liver metabolize cocaine and ethyl alcohol.

The main effect of cocaine is:

local anesthesia. vasoconstriction. central nervous system stimulation. Answer: All of the answers are correct.

The most common legal use of amphetamines is for the treatment of __________.

narcolepsy

Of the following brain sites, the one most clearly associated with a positive reinforcing action of drugs is the:

nucleus accumbens.

Cocaine epidemics

occur in cycles every few generations

High doses of cocaine, especially over longer periods of time, induce symptoms remarkably similar to:

paranoid schizophrenia (toxic paranoid psychosis).

Children born to cocaine-dependent mothers most clearly have a high incidence of:

premature birth.

The combination of cocaine and ethanol:

produces a metabolite in liver that is more toxic than, and potentiates the effects of, cocaine.

Cocaine is:

rapidly metabolized into an inactive metabolite.

Cocaine's major mechanism of action is:

reuptake blockade

When snorting, the effect of cocaine on blood vessels is responsible for the:

slow speed of onset and small percentage absorbed.

Which form and method of using cocaine produces the most intense immediate high?

smoking crack cocaine

Anorexiants are drugs that __________.

suppress appetite

The intensity of cocaine withdrawal is proportional to __________.

the duration of use the intensity of use the amount used Answer: All of the above

The effect of cocaine on the fetus is:

the result of direct and indirect effect.

Armodafinil (Nuvigal) is the active isomer of modafinil. As such, you would not be surprised to discover that, compared to modafinil, Nuvigal is:

twice as potent.

As opposed to crack cocaine, a "line" of powder cocaine:

typically yields about 1/10th to 1/40th the dose.