Transcript Cocaine lecture cocaineONLYx

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Nicotine
Caffeine (it IS a drug!)
Cocaine Lesson 17
MDMA
(Amphetamines)
• Antidepressants
What is cocaine, why is it used? Activity 2
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Euphoria
Arousal
Addiction
“Euphoriants” send a signal to the brain that indicates, falsely,
the impending arrival of an immense evolutionary benefit.”
What are forms of cocaine and how
are they administered?Activity 3
What is cocaine Dosage?
“Line” of cocaine is about 50 mg.
Snorted is lethal when over 500 mg.
Crack dosage is more like 150 mg.
Talk to your neighbor. Why might it be untrue that one can
more easily overdose (die) on crack than cocaine?
Why might it be false that one can more
easily die from crack than cocaine?
1. Because crack is smoked, some potency is lost from
burning
2. Because crack is smoked, it gets into the blood
faster
3. Because crack is smoked, we are protected from
gastrointestinal effects
4. Because cocaine is snorted, it gets into the blood
faster
5. Because cocaine is snorted, it has a shorter half life
How is cocaine metabolized? Activity 4
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CYP2A4
Half life approx. 1 hour
Benzolecgonine
Half life 2-3 days
How does cocaine influence a cell? Activity 5
Dopamine
reuptake pump
Based on information given, if you
radioactively labeled cocaine, where would
you see it bind on a PET?
1. Among other places, in the
ventral tegmental area
(VTA)
2. Among other places, in the
nucleus accumbens
3. Among other places, in the
prefrontal cortex
4. None of these places
How do cocaine forms determine
addictiveness? Activity 6
Reward Pathway
Tolerance
Some chronic cocaine users
choose to snort up to 10 grams
of cocaine to achieve
euphoria. What does this
suggest about tolerance for
getting high and tolerance for
lethality?
Dependence
Map for oral,
snorted, and
smoked
Oral < snorted (3
minutes) < smoked
(5 seconds)
Long term change called “kindling”?
glutamate
glutamate
Limbic system
Long term
use =
increased
sensitivity
(reverse
tolerance).
Are there benefits associated with
cocaine?Activity 7
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http://www.colgate.com.au
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Are there harms associated with cocaine?
Activity 8
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What are the long term brain changes?
• Amygdala (fear) shrinks
• Blood flow to brain
reduced
• Proteins made by the
prefrontal cortex related to
impulse control
What Genes influence Cocaine Use? Activity 9
Dopamine transporter gene
Cocaine-induced
aranoia PMID 16537431
Philisophicalrabbit.com
DRD2 is known to determine drug
craving, generally (not just cocaine)
Endogenous cocaine-like substance
MicroRNA 212
CYP2A4 gene
Are there treatments for cocaine
withdrawal?
Dopamine and Norepinephrine
recycling transporter blocker
Keep a more limited supply of
dopamine in the synapse longer.
Can also be used as an
antidepressant.
Consider this: Heroin was developed as a safe, nonaddictive treatment for opium addiction…….