Brain Basics
What part of the brain is responsible for executive function like setting and achieving goals?
Prefrontal Cortex/Frontal Lobe
This neurotransmitter system becomes more active with repeated drug use, increasing craving.
Mesolimbic dopamine system
What type of channel opens when an action potential reaches the presynaptic terminal?
Voltage-gated channel
What is the term for taking a drug for reasons other than its medical purpose?
Drug misuse
This midbrain structure sends dopamine to the nucleus accumbens.
Ventral tegmental area (VTA)?
This structure relays sensory information to the cortex.
Thalamus
What is the name of the theory that says craving and pleasure are separate but interacting processes
Incentive Sensitization Theory
These proteins help vesicles dock and release neurotransmitters.
What are docking proteins
How many DSM-5 criteria must be met for a diagnosis of severe substance use disorder?
More than 6
What structure is part of both the emotional and memory systems and plays a role in addiction?
Amygdala
These two terms describe directionality in the brain: “toward the back” and “toward the front.”
Posterior (caudal) and anterior (rostral)
Name one drug that sensitizes the mesolimbic dopamine system.
Nicotine/alcohol/cocaine/opiates/amphetamines?
Which neurotransmitter is broken down by acetylcholinesterase
Acetylcholine
What hypothesis says drug use continues to avoid unpleasant physical symptoms?
Withdrawal avoidance hypothesis
What is the term for the increase in brain response with repeated exposure to a drug?
Sensitization
Name two functions of the human brain that are essential to survival but often unconscious.
Respiration and digestion
Which brain structure receives dopamine from the VTA and is involved in craving?
Nucleus accumbens
What role does myelin play in the action potential?
It speeds up conduction of the nerve impulse.
One criticism of the withdrawal hypothesis is that it fails to explain this common outcome.
Relapse after long abstinence
What is the function of the orbitofrontal cortex in the context of drug addiction?
It’s involved in decision-making and evaluating reward value.
Which brain area is involved in memory and often affected in addiction studies?
Hippocampus
Why does addiction persist even after the pleasurable effects of a drug fade?
Because craving can increase even while pleasure decreases (sensitization without continued reward).
Define an agonist
An agonist activates a receptor
What term describes needing more of a drug to get the same effect over time?
Tolerance
What is the difference between the core and shell of the nucleus accumbens in addiction?
The shell is more involved in pleasure (euphoria), while the core mediates craving (wanting).