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The reward system contains a collection of brain structures which attempts to regulate and control behavior by inducing pleasurable effects. It contains, in order from start to finish, the Ventral Tegmental Area (VTA), the Nucleus Accumbens (NA), and the Prefrontal Cortex. The VTA consists of dopamine, GABA, and glutamate neurons which are activated when a pleasurable activity is done. The neurotransmitter (NT) that was sent by the neuron in the VTA then travels to the NA, where the NT helps modulate the activity of neurons in the VTA. The NT is finally released in to the prefrontal cortex where it produces and controls the pleasurable thoughts and actions of the brain and then the body.
6. _ Recognize that normal behaviors can activate the reward system in the brain and that drugs of abuse affect those same reward circuits
the reward system in the brain was created to reward actions that contributed to the survival of the individual. Eating, exercising, mating, etc. are some of the actions that cause the VTA (Ventral Tegmental Area) and NA (Nucleus Accumbens). These actions must be rewarded because animals of lower intelect will not realize that these actions are postive and might not perform them. However, drugs of abuse are designed to act at the same systems that reward for survival actions, thus making them very addictive.
7. _ Explain the contrasting roles of the ‘old brain’ and ‘new brain’
Old Brian - Limbic system/brain stem, midbrain (id) deals with emotions and motivations. The midbrain is a motor relay center it controls many important functions such as the visual and auditory systems as well as eye movement. Portions of the midbrain called the red nucleus and the substantia nigra are involved in the control of body movement.
A Chronic illness is one that requires medical supervision and is often a disease that has formed over a long period of time. Examples of chronic illnesses are Cancer, AIDS, Kidney Disease and Diabetes. Usually, medicines for chronic illnesses are regulated as Prescription Only.
In regards to drug use: one is a drug abuser would be considered to have an acute illness. Where as, a drug addict has a chronic disease.
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24. _Compare the treatment of addiction with other chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension
More than sixty percent of drug addicts have success treating their disease where as less than thirty percent of people with hypertension and less than 50 percent of people with diabetes have success. The success of drug addicts in dealing with their disease is due to a number of reasons. Drug addicts have positive reinforcement in many ways. For example they start getting friends back, they are able to have a job. Programs are made to be user friendly. There are also rehab centers for the drug addicts to go to for help. A majority of the addicts that are trying to overcome the disease are the ones that actively seek help. It is also easier to remove the temptation. Drug addicts don't see people shooting up or doing their drug of choice on a daily basis unless they put themselves in that situation. For diabetes and hypertension you will always be around the temptations and the unhealthy food. Drug addicts also know they are in more immediate danger. Some drug addicts know if they do their drug of choice one more time they are at high risk of dying. For the most part, hypertension and diabetes are diseases that are life threatening later down the line. Drug addicts are more likely to have a family that is supporting them in trying to get rid of their bad habits. Someone with hypertension is less likely to have a family trying to keep them away from unhealthy food. People with hypertension and diabetes will not have their lives ruined by not sticking to their treatment plan. Drug addicts, however, can lose their job, friends, family, and life almost immediately so they have more at risk.

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24. _Compare the treatment of addiction with other chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension
majority of thethe addicts that treatment plan. DrugDrug addicts, however, at risk.
25. _Explain the effects of methadone and naltrexone on heroin addiction
Methadone is a agonist that helps ween heroin addicts off heroin. Agonists are chemicals that bind to a specific receptor to draw out a response such as an inhibition or excitation from an action potential. Methadone binds to opiate receptors as heroine does, but methadone does not produce euphoric effects on the same level as heroin. Methadone helps suppress cravings and withdrawal symptoms from heroin addicts so they can be slowly weened off the drug. Naltrexone is an antagonist that binds to a receptor and blocks it by preventing any other chemicals to bind to the receptor. Naltrexone specifically binds to opiate receptors and blocks it by not allowing any heroin to bind. Using naltrexone is essentially going cold turkey for drug addicts. When taking naltrexone, heroin will not have an effect because the opiate receptors will be blocked. If drug addicts are on naltrexone and decide to take heroin, it is easy to overdose because they will not feel any effects, therefore they will keep taking heroin until they feel the effects which can lead to an overdose.
26. _Describe the most frequent attributes and principles of any drug treatment program
Treament differs from institution depending on their view on the nominal status of what a drug addict is. Most institutions see drugs as a disease. As a disease, the drug addict is expected to go through a predicted set of stages that determines how the treatment will be administered.
A disease is:
Predictable -- A doctor can effectively predict the stages of drug addiction.
Progression -- As the drug addict continues using brain altering substances, the disease progresses into different stages.
Chronic -- The drug addiction is reoccuring and cannot be cured.
Treatable -- Can a doctor prescribe certain drugs/routines to help reduce the effects of addiction.
Potentially life threatening -- Is the addiction potentially life threatening (Yes, overdose is a possibility).
Different factors go into how the treatment will be given.
Motivation - Does the patient have the willingness and motivation to face the negative aspects of drug addiction.
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27. _Examine the stories of different drug addicts and describe the consequences of their actions
Assessments

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24. _Compare the treatment of addiction with other chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension
More than sixty percent of drug addicts have success treating their disease where as less than thirty percent of people with hypertension and less than 50 percent of people with diabetes have success. The success of drug addicts in dealing with their disease is due to a number of reasons. Drug addicts have positive reinforcement in many ways. For example they start getting friends back, they are able to have a job. Programs are made to be user friendly. There are also rehab centers for the drug addicts to go to for help. A majority of the addicts that are trying to overcome the disease are the ones that actively seek help. It is also easier to remove the temptation. Drug addicts don't see people shooting up or doing their drug of choice on a daily basis unless they put themselves in that situation. For diabetes and hypertension you will always be around the temptations and the unhealthy food. Drug addicts also know they are in more immediate danger. Some drug addicts know if they do their drug of choice one more time they are at high risk of dying. For the most part, hypertension and diabetes are diseases that are life threatening later down the line. Drug addicts are more likely to have a family that is supporting them in trying to get rid of their bad habits. Someone with hypertension is less likely to have a family trying to keep them away from unhealthy food. People with hypertension and diabetes will not have their lives ruined by not sticking to their treatment plan. Drug addicts, however, can lose their job, friends, family, and life almost immediately so they have more at risk.
25. _Explain the effects of methadone and naltrexone on heroin addiction
Methadone is a agonist that helps ween heroin addicts off heroin. Agonists are chemicals that bind to a specific receptor to draw out a response such as an inhibition or excitation from an action potential. Methadone binds to opiate receptors as heroine does, but methadone does not produce euphoric effects on the same level as heroin. Methadone helps suppress cravings and withdrawal symptoms from heroin addicts so they can be slowly weened off the drug. Naltrexone is an antagonist that binds to a receptor and blocks it by preventing any other chemicals to bind to the receptor. Naltrexone specifically binds to opiate receptors and blocks it by not allowing any heroin to bind. Using naltrexone is essentially going cold turkey for drug addicts. When taking naltrexone, heroin will not have an effect because the opiate receptors will be blocked. If drug addicts are on naltrexone and decide to take heroin, it is easy to overdose because they will not feel any effects, therefore they will keep taking heroin until they feel the effects which can lead to an overdose.

10._Sequence the series of events that allow the transmission of a nerve impulse at the synapse
Neurons communicate using electrical signals and chemical messages. Electrical signals cannot cross the synaptic space so an electrical signal triggers chemical changes that can cross to affect the post synaptic neuron. When an electrical signal reaches the pre synaptic axon terminal, membranous sacs called vesicles, filled with chemical compounds, called nuerotransmitters, move toward the membrane of the axon terminal. There they fuse with the membrane and release their contents in the synaptic space. They drift across the synaptic cleft and bind to special proteins called receptors. The binding causes a change in the post synaptic neuron that causes it to generate an electrical impulse that then moves away toward the cell body. The nuerotransmitters are then re uptaked into the pre synaptic neuron to be put into the vesicles. If they are not re uptaked they are broken down by enzymes that are present in the synaptic space. That is the series of events that allow the transmission of a nerve impulse at the synapse.
neurons in series The major inhibitory neurotransmitter is Gabaseries.
Inhibitory and the major excitatory neurotransmitter is Glutamate. Gaba can inhibit neuron 1, which then can inhibit neuron 2 and there can be a decrease in the release of dopamine. Glutamate can excite neuron 1, this will send more neurotransmitters to neuron 2 which will then increaseaffect the release of dopamine. The signaling molecule can inhibit neuron 1 sosynpase by either slowing down its processes or making them faster. Inhibitory neurontransmitters allow less neurotransmitters (gaba) willneurons to be release. This will inhibit neuron 2released, slower nerve transmission, and cause an increase in the amounttherefore, less of dopamine released. The signaling molecule can excite neuron 1 which will increase the activityspecific chemical (from what we studied, usually dopamine). Excitatory neurotransmitters allow more neurons to be released and releasetherefore, more (gaba). This will inhibitdopamine. The main inhibitory neuron 2is GABA and decrease the release of dopamine. Those aremain excitatory neuron is glutamate. Also, once drugs get involved at the 4 casessynapse the whole process of howwhat inhibitory and excitatory neurotransmitters can influence nerve transmission.
LINK-->http://science-education.nih.gov/supplements/nih2/addiction/activities/lesson2_neurons-series.htm</span>do becomes more complex.
Drugs: A New Form of Communication
12. _Identify how drugs of abuse will interfere selectively with the neurotransmission at the synapse

13. _Explain how the route of administration and dosage of a drug determines its effect
There are four common routes a drug can be taken into the body. These include inhalation, injection, snorting/snuffing, and ingestion. A drug user achieves the fastest high through inhalation because the drug enters the lungs immediately. But when a drug is inhaled the high does not last as long as other methods. This is because it enters the bloodstream very quickly and thus reaches the liver and is broken down faster. Another reason why a high from inhalation is shortlived is because the drug has to cross a mucous membrane. When a drug is injected it takes longer to reach the brain because it has to travel through the entire bloodstream first. It is very potent though because there is no membrane to cross. The duration of aninjected drug is also shortlived becasue like an inhaled drug it quickly reaches the kidneys and is broken down. When a drug is snorted or snuffed it takes longer to reach its full effect and is not as potent as other methods. This is because the drug can get caught in the mucous and in the lungs. The duration of a snorted/snuffed drug is longer than other methods because it takes awhile to reach the bloodstream. When a drug is ingested it needs to be digested before it takes its effect. This causes the effect to be less potent but longer lasting than other methods.
on heart raterate.
Caffeine is a part of the xanthine group, which makes it a stimulant. When ingested, caffeine binds to the adenosine receptors, because it has a very similar composition to the natural neurotransmitter adenosine. Adenosine is a natural sedative,that is important for deep restful sleep, and calming or decreasing the heart rate. Caffeine works as an inhibitor for adenosine, and consequently increases the impulses in the post synaptic neuron, therefore increasing alertness and heart rate, while decreasing tiredness. Caffeine also increases epinephrine release, which stimulates your sympathetic nervous system which is responsible for the fight or flight response. This neurotransmitter release yields a higher heart rate, similar to when you feel nervous or anxious in a given situationdue to your need for an increase in adrenaline an "adrenaline rush". Studies have shown, that caffeine significantly reduces the risk of heart disease, by increasing the number of cAMP (epinephrine-like) cells that travel to the heart and activate a protein kinase, but this was only proven in case studies that were not severely hypertensive. Another study has proven that race pace endurance has increased by 44% compared to a control group.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caffeine
15. _Analyze experimental data and show how experimental data can lead to further investigations
Drug Abuse and Addiction
24. _Compare the treatment of addiction with other chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension
25. _Explain the effects of methadone and naltrexone on heroin addiction
off heroin. AgonistsAgonists are chemicals action potential. MethadoneMethadone binds to as heroin. MethadoneMethadone helps suppress the drug. NaltrexoneNaltrexone is an the receptor. NaltrexoneNaltrexone specifically binds to bind. UsingUsing naltrexone is drug addicts. WhenWhen taking naltrexone, be blocked. IfIf drug addicts
26. _Describe the most frequent attributes and principles of any drug treatment program
27. _Examine the stories of different drug addicts and describe the consequences of their actions

24. _Compare the treatment of addiction with other chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension
25. _Explain the effects of methadone and naltrexone on heroin addiction
Methadone is a agonist that helps ween heroin addicts off heroin. Agonists are chemicals that bind to a specific receptor to draw out a response such as an inhibition or excitation from an action potential. Methadone binds to opiate receptors as heroine does, but methadone does not produce euphoric effects on the same level as heroin. Methadone helps suppress cravings and withdrawal symptoms from heroin addicts so they can be slowly weened off the drug. Naltrexone is an antagonist that binds to a receptor and blocks it by preventing any other chemicals to bind to the receptor. Naltrexone specifically binds to opiate receptors and blocks it by not allowing any heroin to bind. Using naltrexone is essentially going cold turkey for drug addicts. When taking naltrexone, heroin will not have an effect because the opiate receptors will be blocked. If drug addicts are on naltrexone and decide to take heroin, it is easy to overdose because they will not feel any effects, therefore they will keep taking heroin until they feel the effects which can lead to an overdose.
26. _Describe the most frequent attributes and principles of any drug treatment program
27. _Examine the stories of different drug addicts and describe the consequences of their actions