PSYC 375 Chapter 6 Practice Questions and Correct Answers

A number of people were admitted to emergency rooms in California. They displayed symptoms of stiffness, inability to initiate movement, resting tremors, catatonia (motor immobility), visual distortions and hallucinations. Due to its rapid onset, symptomology and the fact that patients were quite young it was originally thought to be the early onset of Parkinson's disease. Another guess was catatonic schizophrenia. They eventually found that all of these people are recreational drug users, who had been injecting a new synthetic heroin called (MPPP). MPPP is a synthetic opioid, mimicking the effects of one of the peptide neurotransmitters. If prepared incorrectly a potential contaminant in MPP is MPTP which is nontoxic and highly lipophilic meaning in can move through membranes fairly easily. Once in the brain it is metabolized into MPP+ which ends up killing neurons in the substantia nigra What occurred in emergency rooms in California in the late 70's early 80's? Opioids Any drug or agent with actions similar to morphine. Used in pain management. e.g. morphine, enkephalin They extracted dopaminergic neurons from human fetal brains (at autopsy) and implanted them into the caudate nucleus and putamen. A dopamine influx was observed in the patients who received this treatment. In this particular study they found that patient 1 had no serious complications and 24 months after surgery he could dress and feed himself, visit the bathroom with help, and make trips outside his home. He also responded much better to medication. This doesn't work in treating Parkinson's as something in their brains are actively degenerating neurons How did health workers attempt to cure these Californian patients who took synthetic heroin and had symptoms similar to catatonic schizophrenia Psychopharmacology The study of how drugs affect the nervous system and behaviour Drugs Chemical compounds administered to produce a desired change Psychactive drugs Substances that act to alter mood, though, or behavior. These include drugs that are used recreationally and for the management of neuropsychological illnesses. There is a large potential for abuse Administration - how do drugs get into the body/brain - what barriers are there Action - When drugs get to the brain, what do they do there (at synapses)