PSYCH 454 - Exam II

What are four things that can be implanted using stereotaxic surgery and what are each of them used for?

What are a couple of different methods used for leisoning brain areas in research rodents?

____________ is a technique used to measure NT released in vivo; cerebrospinal fluid is collected from the extracellular space and analyzed by _______________________; which seperates molecules by size and charge.

T/F Microdialysis techniques can be performed while the animal is awake and engaged in behavioral tasks.
True False

What technique involves electrically stimulating cells at the tip of an electrode?

What type of electrophysiology allows for recording from a single neuron while the animal is anesthetized? What type allows for monitoring neurons during behavior?

What type of electrophysiology allows researchers to record membrane potentials and the activity of individual ion channels within a neuron? How is this usually accomplished?

What are three different techniques used to localize specific proteins in specific brain regions? How are the proteins or their precursors identified?

______________ is used to tag specific proteins and monitor their activity after manipulation, while ______________ is used to tag specific mRNAs and quantify changes in their levels after manipulation.

What class of research techniques requires fixation of the brain using a preservative such as formaldehyde?

DNA microarrays are a way to measure large-scale patterns of gene expression before/after a manipulation. What is the problem with this technique and how can this be compensated for?

What two forms of brain imaging are used to study/examine the structure of the brain? What two forms are used to study the function of the brain?

Which imaging technique uses X-rays to generate "slices" of the brain?

What imaging technique measures resonance of hydrogen molecules (water) to create an image of the brain?

What imaging technique involves injection of a radioactive isotope and subsequent measurement of brain activity via the gamma rays released as the isotope decays?

T/F PET scans have the greatest resolution of the functional imaging techniques discussed in class
True False

What imaging technique allows for real-time monitoring of blood oxygen levels and flow in the brain?

What were the two genetic engineering research methods discussed in class?

_______________ is a technique that allows researchers to eliminate a gene and its protein from an animal in order to see what happens when that gene/protein is not present.

What technique involves transfering of a gene from one species to another in order to better understand the function of the gene and create animal models of a disease or disorder?

What are three techniques used to study behavioral pharmacology? Describe them briefly.

Why is drug seeking/taking perpetuated according to the physical dependence model?

Abraham Wikler described a conditioned withdrawal response in his study of heroin addicts. What does this mean?

Childress and O'Brien described conditioned cravings in their studies of crack/cocain addicts. What does this mean?

Why is drug seeking/taking perpetuated according to the positive reinforcement model?

According to the _______________ model of addiction, a strong affective response (like that produced by a drug) automatically provokes and opposing affective response (like that produced by withdrawal).

According to the original opponent process model, repeated drug use increases the ____________ leading to increased experience of the _____________, and this promotes continued drug use.

According to the modified opponent process model, repeated drug use strengthens the __________, therefore drug use puts the user higher and higher in the _____________, however the baseline state shifts down placing the addict in the _________ when the drug is not present; this results in the experience of dysphoria without the drug.

What model suggests that repeated use of a drug increases wanting or craving for the drug, but does not increase actual enjoyment of the drug?

According to the incentive sensitization model stimuli associated with drug use become extremely __________ and develop _________ properties.

What are the benefits to the physical disease model of addiction even if it is not entirely correct?

Alcohol does not _________, but it is easily absorbed from the GI tract because it is able to cross membranes by ___________. Alcohol absorption is enhanced by __________ and delayed by __________.

_____________ is 60% more active in men than women and inhibited completely by _______.

Which component in the metabolism of alcohol is toxic and responsible for feeling sick if you drink too much? What enzyme breaks this molecule down?

***List and describe the four forms of alcohol tolerance described in class.***

What type of drug is alcohol? What other drugs in the same class can be used to eliminate withdrawal effects becasue of cross-dependence?

What are three factors that contribute to acute alcohol toxicity (hangover)?

Alcohol withdrawal begins ________ after cessasation and lasts ________.

____________________ is the medical term that refers to the intense alcohol withdrawal symptoms (irritability, headache, confusion, convulsions, hallucinations, etc.) experienced by alcoholics upon cessation.

Wernickee-Korsakoff Syndrome is commonly seen in alcoholics and caused by a ______________ deficiency. Initial symptoms include ________, ________, & ________ and as the syndrome progessess ___________.

Brain damage due to chronic alcoholism has profound effects including __________, _________ due to frontal lobe damage, __________ due to temporal lobe damage, and ___________ due to damage to the cerebellum.

Alcohol as upiquitous effects on the brain and for this reason and ethical reasons it can be very difficult to study in humans. Give four reasons why studying the effects of alcohol in animals offers a lot of insight.

What are the four NT systems discussed in class that are affected by alcohol?

Alcohol affects the glutamatergic system by inhibiting signaling at the _________ receptor causing _________. When consumed chronically these receptors ________ in number and this leads to ______________ and possibly _________ during withdrawal.

Alcohol targets the _________ GABA receptor ________ the inhibitory effects of this system. When used chronically alcohol _________ GABA signaling and this also contributes to _____________ during withdrawal.

Acutely, alcohol ________ the firing rate of dopamine neurons and the release of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens. During withdrawal dopamine release and firing are significantly ________ and this may explain the experience of _________.

Alcohol also has effects on the opioid system. Acutely, it __________ gene expression for opiod receptors. Chronically it __________ the concentration of these receptors in the brain.

Of the two types of alcoholism, ______ is genetically determined and results in heavy, often solitary drinking while _________ is more enviromentally determined and results in heavy, social drinking.

T/F Low sensitivity to the effects of alcohol increases risk of alcoholism
True False

What are the factors described in the 3-Factor Vulnerability Model of alcoholism

What seems to be the most effective form of treatment for alcoholism?

What is the focus of the community reinforcement approach to treating alcoholism?

What drug is used to make ingestion of alcohol unpleasant by inhibiting acetaldehyde dehydrogenase? What are the problems with this medication?

What were the two drugs discussed in class that treat alcoholism by reducing its reinforcing qualities? What systems do they work on?

What are some of the effects of low, medium, and high doses of opiates?

What drug is used to treat someone overdosing on heroin or some other opiate? How does it work?

T/F Opiate receptors are ionotropic
True False

What five brain areas have the highest density of opiate receptors?

Which opiate receptor subtype has a wide distribution and is involved in analgesia, reinforcement, respiratory depression, and nausea?

Which opiate receptor subtype is only distribted in the forebrain (motor integration, olfaction, cognitive function) and is important for modulating the analgesic and euphoric effects of the drug?

Which opiate receptor subtype has a limited distribution and is involved in pain perception and dysphoria, as well as water balance, feeding, temp. control, and neuroendocrine function? What does this receptor signal when activated?

Opiate receptors have inhibitory actions that are mediated by what four cellular changes?

T/F Rats allowed to self-administer opiates will slowly increase the amount they give themselves until reaching dangerous levels/overdose
True False

T/F The reinforcing effects of opiates are mediated by increased release of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens only.
True False

Opiate withdrawal peaks ________ after cessastion and the intense, extremely unpleasant effects continute for _________.

Opiate withdrawal is associated with increased activity in what four brain areas?

Opiates disrupt __________, and continued use prompts an adaptive mechanism to compensate, during withdrawal this mechanism is still active and overcompensates. What molecule is heavily involved in this mechanism?

What α2 -adrenergic agonist relieves the chills, tearing, stomach cramps, and sweating associated with opiate withdrawal? Does this do anything for craving?

Why is methadone somewhat effective for treating opiate addiction?

What form of opiate addiction treatment has an 80% success rate in the first through third years after cessastion?

What are two other drugs that are basically longer lasting forms of methadone?

What two drugs prevent the rush of taking heroin or other opiates?

What 4 brain regions contain high densities of cannabinoid receptors? What are these area important for?

The main cannabinoid receptor is the ___ receptor; this receptor inhibits the release of neurotransmitter by _________, __________, and __________.

Unlike most receptors the cannabinoid receptor is located on the _________ of the ___________.

What selective CB₁ antagonist was developed in 1994?

Cannabinoids are rare in that they act as __________; in the brain they inhibit __________ increasing the firing rate of ____________.

Two common endocannabinoids are _________ and ___________ these two molecules are derived from _____________ and metabolized by ___________.

In general cannabinoids impair learning, however, activation of the CB₁ receptor has been implicated in a what specific type of learning?

T/F Use of marijuana and other cannabinoids is not reinforcing in the same way use of other drugs is
True False

T/F Like opiates use of cannabinoids is reinforced by the dopamine system as well as by a poorly understood mechanism most likely involving the opiate system.
True False