Lesson 1
What neurotransmitter plays an important role in the brain's reward system and addiction?
Dopamine
What neurotransmitter do addictive drugs release in large amounts that activates the brain's reward system?
Dopamine
What is the active ingredient in alcoholic beverages?
Ethanol
What highly addictive chemical is found in tobacco products?
Nicotine
A student says, "Addiction is just a choice. If someone really wanted to stop using a drug, they could simply stop."
Using what you learned about the brain's reward system, explain why addiction can be difficult to stop.
Addictive drugs activate the brain's reward system and release large amounts of dopamine. With repeated use, the brain adapts and changes, including changes to dopamine receptors. The brain begins to strongly associate the drug with reward, leading to cravings and motivation to use the drug again.
What is a drug?
Any chemical put into the body that changes mental state or body function.
Name two factors that can increase a person's risk of addiction.
Home/family, peers/school, early use, or method of use.
Where is alcohol primarily absorbed into the bloodstream?
The small intestine.
What neurotransmitter does nicotine mimic?
Acetylcholine
What are the two terms that describe needing more of a drug for the same effect and being unable to function normally without it?
Tolerance and Dependence
Repetitive, compulsive use of a substance despite negative consequences.
What is drug intolerance?
When it takes a higher dose of a drug to achieve the same level of response.
Alcohol acts as what type of drug?
A depressant
What happens when nicotine activates the brain's reward system?
It floods the nucleus accumbens with dopamine, creating a desire to repeat the behavior.
In North Carolina, what is the legal BAC limit for drivers 21 and older? What is it for drivers under 21?
08% for drivers 21+; zero for drivers under 21.
How do drugs affect the brain's communication system?
They disrupt/tamper with the way nerve cells send, receive, and process information.
What is drug dependence?
The inability to function normally without the drug.
Alcohol increases the activity of which inhibitory neurotransmitter and decreases which excitatory neurotransmitter?
Increases GABA and decreases glutamate.
Name three substances that may be found in e-cigarette aerosol.
Nicotine, flavorings, ultrafine particles, volatile organic compounds, cancer-causing chemicals, or heavy metals.
Why can nicotine be especially harmful to teenagers?
Nicotine affects the developing brain and can negatively affect memory, attention, learning, and brain development.
Name three routes of administration for drugs.
Inhalation, injection, oral, or absorption.
Why can alcohol withdrawal cause symptoms such as shaky hands and seizures?
The brain adapts to prolonged alcohol use by increasing excitatory activity. When alcohol is stopped, that adaptation remains, causing excessive excitation.
What part of the brain is affected by alcohol and is responsible for transferring information from short-term to long-term memory?
The hippocampus.
What is EVALI, and what substance has been strongly linked to its outbreak?
EVALI is e-cigarette/vaping product use-associated lung injury. Vitamin E acetate has been strongly linked to the outbreak.
When is the Natural Rewards Project due?
October 7th.