Central Nervous System Stimulants

1
Central Nervous System Stimulants

• Constricted Blood Vessels
• Increased Pulse
• Increased Blood Pressure
• Increased Energy, alertness, and strength
• Euphoria
• Decreased appetite

2
Drug Effects on Neurotransmission Nicotine

• Acts on cell body in VTA to increase number of
  action potentials
• Also binds to receptors on axon terminals in
  nucleus accumbens to release more dopamine with
  each action potential

3
Nicotines Impact on Nerve Cells

• Nicotine binds to presynaptic neuron receptors
• Causing neuron to excite-firing more action
  potentials
• More dopamine is released

4
Drug Effects on the Cell

• Drugs of abuse all directly or indirectly
  increase dopamine binding to post synaptic
  receptor with acute behavioral effects
• Chronically, this increases cAMP levels and leads
  to a cascade of changed cell activity

5
Drug Effects on Neurotransmission Caffeine

• Mild Stimulant
• Prevents another chemical (adenosine) from
  binding to its receptor (antagonist)
• Adenosine is a natural sleep inducer

6
Drug Effects on Neurotransmission Cocaine

• Blocks the dopamine transporter
• Rapid rise of dopamine in synapse
• Binds post synaptic receptors
• Initial Euphoria

7
Cocaines Impact on Nerve Cells

• Cocaine blocks dopamine transporter
• Inhibits reuptake of dopamine
• Prolonging the stimulation

8
Other Chronic Drug Effects

• Cell Death
• Neurons dont grow back
• Alcohol, ecstasy, meth
• Effect memory, mood, learning

9
Your Brain on Drugs
5-6
1-2 Min
3-4
6-7
7-8
8-9
9-10
10-20
20-30
10
Your Brain After Drugs
11
Persistent Effects of Drug Use
Amygdalaactivated
Amygdalanot lit up
Front of Brain
Back of Brain
Nature Video
Cocaine Video
12
Cues for Cocaine and Normal Pleasures Activate
Brain Sites Childress, 1999

• Cues for Cocaine
• Cocaine abusers may experience a powerful urge
  to use when they encounter environmental cues
  associated with use
• Limbic regions of the brain are activated when
  watching cocaine- related videos
• Childress, 1999

13
Persistent Effects of Drug

• As a result of intracellular changes, the
  previously cocaine addicted brain has
  persistently altered functioning (craving)

14
Environmental Cues