Jan 23, 2007

Jan 23, 2006  Presentation o Put up powerpoint on eSnips or whatever information you have on o Multiple Choice Questions  Not mandatory  Highly encouraged, b/c questions will be selected for the test  Test o 10 questions from presentation o 80 questions altogether  Drug Dependence and Drug Abuse o All drugs that have dependence quality effect the CNS o The main drugs of abuse  Very strong dependence liability • Morphine is top of the list • Alcohol is less so • Weak one is caffeine o Nature of drug dependence  Addiction, abuse dependence – we are going to use it all to mean the same thing  Important to know the characteristic  The essential factor of all those things is the compulsion to take the drug o Characteristics of Addiction or Dependence  IMPORTANT • Psychological/behavioural dependence  A physical dependence on the effect of the drug o Historical look at societal use of psychoactive drugs  Every culture has ones that are ‘ok’ and ones that are illegal  Begins with those that naturally grow around you o Social functions of Psychoactive Drug  Usually starts with religion/culture • Red wine o Blood o Warmth o ‘spirit of life’  Secular ceremonies  Conviviality o Factors governing extent of drug use  MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR: degree of social acceptance/rejection  Price • Less expensive easier use

Ease of availability • When alcohol became a self-use industry – saw increase Habitual Mechanism  NOT INCLUDED Dependence  Most important factor • Psychological factors Psychological factors involved in drug dependence  By increasing dopamine, get reinforcement Mechanisms of psychological/behavioural dependence  IMPORTANT SLIDE!!!!  Block dopamine receptor, decrease the reward from the drug  Increasing 5-HT (serotonine) reduces drug seeking behaviour • Decreases reward effect of the drug  Glutamate receptor antagonists • Inhibit glutamate receptor, decreases reward Habituation Mechanism  Both INCREASE activity of adenylate cyclase • Acutely, there is inhibition of cAMP • Feedback mechanism stimulates more cAMP being produced • If stop taking level of drug that heightened sensitivity causes the withdrawal symptoms Genetic factors  Significant influence on drug addiction  A lot of genetics show that a change in an individual’s sensitivity is what predisposes them to the sensitivity Other characteristics influencing reinforcement  Timing • The sooner the onset the action of the drug, the sooner the reinforcement and more likely to take the drug again  Route of administration  Motivational forced • Why is the person taking the drug • Usually, worry, fear, disappointment, anger o Anything that can decrease that state, they will be seeking in drugs  Environmental stimuli • If enter same environment of the drug will stimulate craving again • Same thing seen in heroine addicts  Physical dependence  Intensity of behavioural dependence 

o o

o o

o

o

o

o Tolerance  Decreased effect can be as a result of few mechanisms • Metabolic • Cross-tolerance o Breaks down drug faster, and becomes tolerant • Adaptive tolerance o Body can adapt to different situations o Stop neurological firing o Tolerance and physical dependence  Benzo and alcohol effect same receptors  Benzo, still get alcohol effect without taking alcohol  Confirm physical dependence, if when given drug the symptoms go away o Non-drug factors that influence tolerance  GET RID OF THIS SLIDE!!! o Treatment of drug dependence  Manipulating serotonine o GET RID OF EVERYTHING AFTER THE TREATMENT OF DRUG DEPENDENCE SLIDE