The Mechanisms of Cocaine Tolerance - 1300 Words

Cocaine tolerance is achieved when a larger amount of the drug is needed to reach the same intoxication or â€Å"high† previously reached by smaller amounts of the drug. This tolerance is often developed in organisms after an extensive history of exposure to cocaine. Cocaine can also have sensitization effects in organisms, which can also be described as â€Å"reverse tolerance†. The mechanisms responsible for the development of either sensitization or tolerance to cocaine are currently intertwined, and researchers have been unable to tease them apart. There are, however, some small indications of what might be responsible for cocaine tolerance. The following paper will review research in cocaine tolerance in a variety of animals, as well as humans, and the implications of the findings. Specifically, how cocaine tolerance affects operant responses in addition to physiological responses Many researchers have suggested that Pavlovian, or classical, conditioning may play a role in the development of tolerance to cocaine and other drugs in many organisms. Specifically, the rituals and environment that precede the drug administration become conditioned stimuli and the drug itself is the unconditioned stimulus. Hinson and Siegel (1999) discuss how when the rituals and environment associated with drug administration are encountered, and the drug is not delivered, organisms often display symptoms of withdrawal, sickness, and cravings. These symptoms are said to be compensatory responses, orShow MoreRelatedEssay about Addiction and the Brain1037 Words   |  5 Pagesadverse consequences related to repeated use of the drug...[involving] compulsive drug use, interference with normal activities and may include tolerance and physical dependence (2). The tolerance and physical dependence which frequently occurs as a normal physiological adaptation to non-addictive prescription medications must be distinguished from tolerance and physical dependence experienced in the context of addiction, a chronic, relapsing illness characterized by compulsive drug seeking and useRead MoreHigh Impulsivity And Novelty Seeking Drugs875 Words   |  4 PagesThe article, High Impulsivity Predicts the Switch to Compulsive Cocaine-Talking, sought to determine whether impulsivity and novelty-seeking (which are behavioral markers of addictive drugs) place individuals in the vulnerability of compulsive seeking of the drug. The researchers used laboratory rats to test the vulnerability. Researchers found that high reactivity to novelty predicted the likelihood of rats seeking cocaine self-administration. However, high impulsivity seemed to predict the developmentRead MoreLove Is a Natural Drug1415 Words   |  6 Pagescharacteristics, namely, the release of the neurotransmitter dopamine, the presence of tolerance and withdrawal symptoms, and the negative influences they have on a person’s life. Love addiction is similar to addictive drugs such as alcohol, cocaine, marijuana and heroin because of the effects that dopamine have on the addict’s mind and body. These effects then lead to a person’s experience of tolerance and withdrawal symptoms. Tolerance and withdrawal symptoms are very important in the maintenance of an addictionRead MoreCLEAN AND SOBER Essay795 Words   |  4 PagesClean and Sober was a movie about a guy name Darryl who was a drug and alcohol addict. The movie started out as him waking up beside a naked woman, then he started snorting cocaine, cocaine can give you hallucinations. When he was trying to wake up the woman, the woman was not budging, meaning she’s dead- overdosed with cocaine and this was the conflict of the story, and also he was running away from his boss because he took a great amount of money in their company and invested it on stocks and heRead MoreEssay on Cocaine and the Brain: The Neurobio logy of Addiction2205 Words   |  9 PagesCocaine and the Brain: The Neurobiology of Addiction In the eyes of the public, the word addict stirs up a negative image: a person of low moral character who willfully chooses to engage in questionable behavior. This image is perpetuated in the media; on a recent episode of E.R., the chief surgeon criticizes another doctor for allowing a heroin addict (who has been treated for an abscess) to exchange a dirty needle, explaining we donà ¢t want these low-lives hanging around the hospital. TheRead MoreHow Do Drugs Affect Our Body And Society?908 Words   |  4 Pagesacceptable, whereas drugs such as cocaine and marijuana are not, yet they both have severe adverse effects. The verbalisation that drugs are hazardous is ridiculous from a literal standpoint. A kilogram of arsenic is no more hazardous than a kilogram of lettuce - both are merely inert substances. The physical or noetic trauma is only pertinent when the chemical is ingested into a living body; all substances are toxic to the human body at some dose level. Heroin, cocaine, and marijuana pose no quandariesRead MoreDiagnosis And Classification Of Substance Use Disorders1312 Words   |  6 Pages only 1 in 6 are able to access treatment globally. These prevalence rates remain stable, but the landscape of substance use has changed in period between 2009 and 2013. During this period, there has been a significant reduction in the extent of cocaine use, with a rise in cannabis and prescription drug use and stabilization in the opiate use globally. The highest estimate of opioid and opiate use is 1.2% (0.8% for opioids and 0.4% for opiates). Non-medical injection is estimated among 45% of allRead M oreThe Relationship Between Drug Abuse and Excessive Food Consumption1674 Words   |  7 PagesIn seminar, we discussed the relationship between drug addiction and excessive food consumption. In particular, we remarked that drugs of abuse hi jack the reward pathway that evolved for hedonic food consumption. Drugs such as cocaine cause excess dopamine released in the Nucleus Accumbens, which results in a feeling of extreme pleasure. Over time, the pleasure derived from the drug decreases due to synaptic adjustment and the addict is in a state of anhedonia (lack of pleasure). Chronic drug useRead MoreEducating America about Legalization of Marijuana Essays1644 Words   |  7 Pagestopics of the 20th century. Although illegal for some time now in the United States, we know of its widespread availability and usage. Once a huge threat to society, it is now being overlooked as we turn to the seemingly more serious problems of cocaine and heroin. But should we be taking a second look at it, cracking down on enforcement and trying as hard as possible to rid our country of this drug? Well the police officer I interviewed said Billions and billions of dollars are being spentRead MoreSubstance Abuse And Its Effects On Society1285 Words   |  6 Pageslaws to regulate and control addictive drugs was the Pure Food and Drug Act in 1906, which required the correct labeling of medicines that contained opiates. In 1914 the Harrison Narcotic Act banned the sale of medicines that contained opiates or cocaine and required a prescription by physicians (Brown, 1981).Then, in 1919 â€Å"spirit of temperance†, or self-control, led to the Prohibition of alcohol by the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, which was then revoked 14 years later (Infoplease.com