Chapter 4 Drugs 1 What are drugs Any substance that alters function of the brain or body Any substance that alters function of the synapse in the body PNS or brain CNS 2 What is an agonist Antagonist What different ways can they act example directly at receptor increase decrease neurotransmitter synthesis degradation etc Agonist mimics or enhances the effect of a neurotransmitter This increases synthesis promotes release blocks reuptake degradation blocks presynaptic autoreceptors and activates postsynaptic receptors Antagonist blocks or decreases the effect of a neurotransmitter These reduce synthesis prevents storage blocks release activates presynaptic autoreceptors and block post synaptic rectptors 3 Drug Actions at the Synapse Affect Neurotransmitter Production Manipulating the synthesis of a neurotransmitter will affect the amount available for release Neurotransmitter Storage Interfering with the storage of a neurotransmitters in vesicles within a neuron Neurotransmitter Release drugs can modify the release of a neurotransmitter in response to the arrival of an AP 4 Know which drugs belong to different classes Opiates Heroine Morphine Cocaine Depressants Alcohol Stimulants Meth Cocaine Psychadelics 5 Psychoactive Drugs any drug with psychological effect passes through blood brain barrier to directly affect the brain 6 Know which neurotransmitter receptor system the following drugs act on and what they do for example act as agonist antagonist decrease neurotransmitter reuptake etc Alcohol depressant both agonist and antagonist GABAA receptor agonist gives anti anxiety sedative effects and impairs motor Dopamine receptor agonist euphoric qualities NMDA receptor antagonist memory problems BAC Blood Alcohol content Influenced by type of drinks weight gender and genetic background Cocaine opiate that produces euphoria decreased appetite increased alertness and relieves fatigue It is an agonist inhibits dopamine reuptake It is a stimulant that effects the mesolimbic system and reward pathway VTA releases dopamine onto the NA It blocks dopamine reuptake into VTA presynaptic neurons so more dopamine is available at the NA postsynaptic receptors Extracted from coca plant can be snorted inhaled or injected VTA Ventral Tegmental Area NA Nucleus Accumbens Methamphetamine synthetic drug that can be snorted inhaled or injected to produce effects similar to cocaine It is a stimulant that effects the mesolimbic system and reward pathway VTA releases dopamine onto the NA Meth gets taken into cells just like dopamine When too much dopamine in terminal transporter works backward chemical gradient and lots more dopamine is available in synapse Psychedelics these cause perceptual and cognitive distortions are psychedelics Serotonin receptor agonists Lysergic Acid Diethylamide LSD Psilocybin Mushrooms MDMA Ecstasy Ecstasy heightened perceptions stimulation elevated mood reduced appetite Increases serotonin release and blocks reuptake so more serotonin is available to bind postsynaptic receptors meaning less serotonin is available for release and autoreceptor activation decreases synthesis and release even further After ecstasy has worn off the user experiences depression like feelings and irritability PCP is a glutamate receptor antagonist Opiates synthesized from sap of opium poppy Drugs include morphine codeine heroine Endorphin receptor agonists and leads to increased dopamine release Marijuana THC It is an agonist at receptors for endogenous cannabinoids Cannabinoid receptors are located in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex This drug leads to increased dopamine release 7 Tolerance lessened effects as a result of repeated administration 8 Withdrawal occurs when substance use is discontinued opposite of the effects caused by the 9 Addiction is the compulsive need to use the drug repeatedly 10 Drugs that reduce CNS activity sedatives calming anxiolytic anxiety reducing hypnotic 11 Drugs that increase CNS activity will increase the HR respiration BP arousal alertness and Chapter 5 Genetics Development Experience 12 How many pairs of chromosomes do humans have 23 Matched pairs each parent contributes 13 Genes sequences of nucleotides that code for specific amino acids that when strung together make a protein Humans have an estimated 23k protein coding genes Phenotype observable traits Transcription DNA partially unwinds and a strand of complementary RNA is made Translation RNA instructs ribosomes to produce amino acids 14 RNA Ribonucleic Acid is a nucleic acid present in all living cells It acts as a messenger carrying instructions from DNA for controlling the synthesis of proteins although in some viruses RNA rather than DNA carries the genetic info 15 Alleles an alternative version of a gene that may be dominant or recessive Traits controlled by genes on the X chromosome occur more frequently in one sex than the other If dominant it occurs more frequently in females 2 Xs if recessive occurs more frequently in males only 1 X Dominant those that mask other gene effects routinely expressed Brown Eyes discontinued drug sleep inducing elevate mood one chromosome Recessive genes that are expressed only in absence of a dominant gene routinely not expressed Blue Eyes 16 Junk DNA Stretches of DNA around and between genes that seemed to do nothing but now researchers think that they contain a large number of tiny genetic switches controlling how genes function and are expressed in the cell 17 Is most of the genome coding DNA genes or non coding DNA 18 Main sources of genetic diversity Meiosis chromosomes in the eggs or sperm can be shuffled in over 8 million combinations 223 8 388 608 combos One of the 23 pairs of chromosomes found in body cells The chromosomes replicate themselves The cell divides w one pair of chromosomes in each daughter cell these cells divide a second time into sperm or egg cells containing only 1 chromosome rather than a pair Crossing Over equivalent segments of DNA are exchanged unique gene combinations At the beginning of meiosis paired chromosomes line up with each other each chromosome replicates itself the chromosomes cross over the chromosomes exchange equivalent sections of genetic material Retrotransposons Move from site to site within a cell or even between neurons They are thought to be a driving force of primate evolution These act somewhat like retrovirus RNA that moves and inserts randomly AKA Jumping Genes SNPs Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms Mutations may