Class notes
Lecture notes Applied Cognitive Psychology (psy3009f)
- Institution
- University Of Cape Town (UCT)
Lecture notes of 25 pages for the course Applied Cognitive Psychology at UCT
[Show more]
Seller
Follow
Content preview
Drugs and Cognitive PerformanceWhat are drugs?
• Natural or synthetic substances that produce physiological changes when taken into
the body.
• Not all substances that produce physiological changes are drugs
- Many drugs have psychoactive effects, i.e., produce changes in: Mood, Cognition
Experience
- They influence behaviour by altering activity at nervous system synapses.
Why do psychologists care about drugs?
- Introduce drugs to manipulate the activity of particular NTs.
- Note: NT =Neurotransmitter
- Examine effects on cognition
- Investigates biological basis of cognition.
- Many people use a drug of some type almost on a daily basis. E.g. Caffeine
How do drugs influence cognitive performance?
Why do people love drugs?
Types of Drugs (exam question)
1. Stimulants
Caffeine, Nicotine, Amphetamines, Ecstasy, Cocaine
2. Depressants
Alcohol, Barbiturates, Benzodiazepines
3. Hallucinogens
LSD, Cannabis, Magic mushrooms (psilocybin), ketamine,
phencyclidine (PCP)
4. Analgesics
Opiates (Heroin, opium, methadone, pethidine, morphine, codeine,
buprenorphine)
5. Anabolic steroids
Social VS illegal
Social drugs:
Caffeine
Alcohol
Nicotine
Cannabis
Illegal drugs include:
Heroin
Cocaine
,Amphetamines
Ecstasy
How drugs affect the nervous system: Action Potential
Drugs act on our synapses.
Synapses = A very narrow gap of about 20nm between neurons
NB
- NT made in presynaptic neuron stored in synaptic vesicles
- Post-synaptic neuron membrane Neuroreceptors.
- Agonist = Increases NT effect
- Antagonist = Reduces NT effect
Cholinergic Synapse
, Pre-synaptic neuron
Post-synaptic neuron
- Synapses with the NT acetylcholine = cholinergic synapses.
- Action potential arrives at presynaptic membrane.
- Voltage-gated calcium channels open calcium ions enter the presynaptic neuron.
Cholinergic Synapse
• Ions in synaptic vesicles fuse with the presynaptic membrane, releasing acetylcholine
into the synaptic cleft.
• Acetylcholine diffuses across the synaptic cleft and binds to specific neuroreceptor
sites in the post synaptic membrane.
• Sodium channels open.
• Sodium ions diffuse into the postsynaptic membrane causing depolarisation, which
may cause an action potential
• Acetylcholinesterase breaks down acetylcholine.
• The products diffuse back into the presynaptic neuron.
• Here, acetylcholine is resynthesised using adenosine -triphosphate (ATP) from the
mitochondria.
Drugs can alter:
Pre-synaptic events
E.g.
• Processes in axon
• NT synthesis
• NT storage
• NT release
Synaptic cleft or post-synaptic events
E.g.
• Inactivation/re-uptake mechanism
• Activation of receptor molecules
• Activity of second-messenger systems
The Dopaminergic Reward System
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through EFT, credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying this summary from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller lekiathaver. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy this summary for R50,00. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
53022 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy summaries for 14 years now