Conditioned Place Preference

Relapses and drug taking are both heavily influenced by similar factors such as the drugs neurochemistry, the user’s history, environment, and dose of the pharmacokinetics. After a period of abstinence or non-use the drugs reinstating is more often an initiation of more than one factor, namely; re-exposure to drug, stress, cues in the environment, priming of the drug to user. In the user’s mind, neurochemical responses are commonly induced through these factors, in that they create a craving by mimicking the drug and this in turn prevents reinstatement and desire to use the drug (McGovern, Xie, Segal, Siembab, & Drake, 2006).

Addiction is thought of a biological nature that is past through genetics according to the biological theory as explained in P2. A contrasting theory of the biological theory would be the classical and operant conditioning theory, this was made by Pavlov. The basis of conditioning theories is that addiction is the end result of the reinforcement of drug use. The drug acts as a reinforcer and gains control over the user’s behavior. In contrast to the biological models of the exposure theories, these conditioning models suggest that anyone can show addictive behavior if they are given reinforcements, regardless of their genetics. The advantage of this

This research paper will evaluate the biological aspects of addictive substance or behavior and how it affects the brain and organs. Biological aspects include dopamine levels that are replaced in the brain due to the reward system being overtaken and the absorption rate of the drug once it is ingested will be discussed. The biological aspects are extensive and permanent if the individual does not get the help they need. Furthermore the clinical issues of addictive substance or behavior will be discussed along with medical treatments and ethical issues. This includes treatments such as counseling

Progressive ratio schedules have been used to study the effects of different drugs or doses. The progressive ratio schedule is defined as increasing the ratio requirement (the number of responses needed to acquire an injection) following each reinforcement until there is no longer a response. The breaking point is the final ratio and is used to evaluate the efficacy of the reinforcer. Different motivational variables change the value of the breaking point. Increasing the dose of cocaine increases the value of the breaking point. On the other hand, pre-treating animals with spiperone or SCH23390 will decrease the breaking point. Therefore, it can be implied that both D1 and D2 receptors are needed to reinforce the effects of cocaine (Hubner & Moreton, 1991).

According to the biological perspective, drug use may start off as casual, but through continued use, it produces changes in the brain that influences the onset and maintenance of drug addiction. (Horvath et al., 2013). Drugs have their most prominent effects on the function of neurotransmitters. Almost all major drugs of abuse activate the reward system and cause a flood in the levels of dopamine which is a neurotransmitter that is involved in pleasure. As a result, not only do people learn to associate drug use with pleasure, but the brain also starts to reduce its own natural dopamine production in adjustment to the levels of dopamine produced by the drugs. This is called tolerance, and the consequences of tolerance are highly influential

The growing debate over drugs and their use is a constant issue in today’s society. Animals and Psychedelics: The Natural World and the Instinct to alter Consciousness offers a unique look into how and why some people and animals have a natural instinct to seek out things to inebriate themselves. With the unique information this book brings to light, it creates new points for policy makers to take into consideration when drug policies are being created.

Imagine having a life-threatening condition or illness such as leukemia or cystic fibrosis. Living each day struggling for your life. It's difficult to imagine it yourself, but that’s what millions of kids suffer every single year. Consequently, they lose the hope, joy, and strength they need to survive. Now imagine having one wish granted for you. Having the hope and joy you once lost given back to you and you have the strength to fight for your life. Well, that’s exactly what the Make-A-Wish Foundation did for Frank "Bopsy" Salazar and thousands of other kids.

When activated at normal levels, this system rewards our natural behaviors. Overstimulating the system with drugs, however, produces euphoric effects, which strongly reinforce the behavior of drug use—teaching the user to repeat it. (1)

Marijuana in the late 1960s’ had only one percent of tetrahydrocannabinol, compared to present day where Health Canada has discovered there is at least 10 percent of tetrahydrocannabinol and 30 percent in some cases. The tetrahydrocannabinol is a strong chemical and works immediately after one has inhaled it. Tetrahydrocannabinol mimics the neurotransmitter anandamide, which fills in the synapse between neurons and this disrupts the brain’s regular functions. In a normally functioning brain, anandamide activates the cannabinoid receptors but when smoking marijuana tetrahydrocannabinol activates these receptors which are in the hippocampus, cerebellum and basal ganglia. This affects the short-term memory, coordination, and learning and problem-solving skills for an individual. Brain development is also affected by the use of cannabis. Dr. Harold Kalant conducted a study in the 1980s’ with rats and cannabis use. He separated the rats into two groups; rats exposed to cannabis at adolescents and rats exposed to cannabis in adulthood. Kalant observed the rats exposed to cannabis as adolescents, had difficulty with memory and learning even after nine years of no exposure. In comparison, the rats who were adults when exposed to cannabis didn’t have long term effects. It is evident that brain development was disrupted by the use of cannabis in the growing years. Also, Dr. Andra Smith saw in her functional magnetic resonance imaging of brain activity of regular cannabis smokers and non-smokers, that the smokers had a more brain activity. She stated it was due to the brain having to work hard to “respond accurately”. It is obvious that brain function and development is harshly impacted by the use of

Drugs of abuse, such as cocaine, ecstasy, heroin and cannabis, are of natural or synthetic origin, which can alter the emotional state, perception, body functioning and behaviour of an individual. Drugs are known to work in the brain by activating certain brain circuits via different mechanisms, and stimulate or inhibit different neurons in the pathway. However, due to the effects of each drug being different, a drug will affect either different pathways and neurons in the brain to that of another, or through a different process, i.e. direct or indirect activity. This essay will discuss the different mechanisms of action that cocaine, ecstasy, heroin and

Substance addiction can hugely impact on a person’s thinking, functioning and behaviour. Whilst depressant drugs such as alcohol and opioids slow down your central nervous system (CNS), stimulants such as cocaine or amphetamine increase the activity of the CNS, leading to higher blood pressure, heart rate and increased alertness. Repeated abuse of the substance leads to tolerance and withdrawal, in turn this leads to the user showing signs of irrational behaviour. Another form of substance abuse is hallucinogens; they can cause powerful changes in sensory perceptions. It works by binding to the serotonin receptors, these neurons control visual information and emotions, and this can lead to various effects on the user. Neurobiology can help us understand the reasons for addiction and the effects they have on us. Groman and Jentsch (2012) discuss key issues of differentiating the causes and consequences of addiction through neuroimaging and behavioural research on monkeys, they found that the dysfunction of the dopamine

If you are a woman, then these strong women quotes are for you. They are from some of the strongest women in the public eye, and their messages are worthy of every woman's attention! These women know what it takes to be strong women, and while they are already living that strength, they want it for you and every other woman out there, which is why their quotes are so powerful. Their quotes are the truth and the guidelines to becoming stronger in every aspect of life.

An individual’s behavior and emotion becomes chemically altered often resulting in dependency, aggression, onset of diseases and poor judgement. This poses a dangerous threat to the neurotransmitters since they have multiple jobs in different parts of the brain. Drugs of abuse are able to exert influence over the brain reward pathway either by directly influencing the action of dopamine within the system, or by altering the activity of other neurotransmitters that exert a modulatory influence over this pathway. These drugs are often powerful and have been known to trigger schizophrenic behavior and can also cause a person to cease breathing, for example hallucinogens such as LSD, mescaline, and psilocybin are able to artificially stimulate the serotonin receptor (Sapolsky, 2005).

Throughout the process of cessation of marijuana, cravings do occur, just like with many other substances. Gray (2007) says that “cravings and urges are considered to reflect the fundamental motivational processes that maintain continued drug use”. A paradigm was created to test cravings for marijuana on adolescents who have recently stopped using. In this paradigm a researcher presents cues associated with marijuana, for example: drug paraphernalia, the sight of someone smoking, the smell of the marijuana, etc. This has shown to increase cravings for the substance, also, a higher heart rate has

When I was younger, middle school aged, is when I did most of my formal writing. I remember a time, in particular, I had an assignment to write a paper on someone that I looked up to and that inspired me. That person has always been my Grandma Mary. She is the best person I know. I believe I was in the 8th grade when I wrote that essay about her, it gave me good experience in formal writing. Formal writing hasn’t always been something I feel I’ve been very at and something I feel I’ve improved in quite a bit . I’d like to tell about my experience with writing formal papers when I was younger, and how much I’ve learned since my younger days in writing. I’m going to tell of my experiences in using online databases for research, and formatting a paper in MLA.