Research Summary- Drugs and the Neuroscience of Behavior
The fifth chapter of the book Drugs and the Neuroscience of Behavior by Adams discusses drugs of abuse. The chapter starts by discussing the regulation of drugs with the potential for abuse by various agencies, as well as the classification of these drugs. The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) is charged with regulating the utilization and availability of various drugs of abuse in the US. These drugs are classified per the Harrison Narcotic Act, the Controlled Substance Act, and the Controlled Schedule Act. Under these statutes, numbers are assigned to various drugs with the potential of abuse, with lower numbers signifying greater potential of abuse while higher numbers signify lower abuse potential of these drugs.
Drug scheduling is not unique to the US alone, with other countries also having their own scheduling systems. These systems, however, vary as one drug considered illegal in one country may find approval in another. This may be due, in part, to the disharmony between the scientific rating for the potential of abuse and the regulatory rating of a drug for the potential of abuse. Certain drugs of abuse have the propensity to cause addiction. Drug addiction can be considered a chronic disorder that can be defined as the impulsive use of a drug despite its harmful effects.
Drug addiction models have been hypothesized to explain the concept of drug addiction. The disease model of drug addiction, associative learning principles in the characterization of drug addiction, drive, opponent process, and incentive salience are all theoretical models that have been utilized to explain drug addiction (Field & Kersbergen, 2019). The apparent conclusion across these theories is the positive reinforcement and reward circuit that is elicited by drugs of abuse. The chapter concludes by discussing the strategies that are utilizable in the treatment of drug addiction. Pharmacological and psychological therapies can effectively alleviate individuals from addiction, especially when used in combination.
Chapter 6, on the other hand, discusses psychostimulants. The chapter begins by defining psychostimulants as agents with the potential to increase the activity of the sympathetic nervous system and also enhance alertness and mood. These agents include amphetamine, cocaine, and cathinone, among others. Whereas these agents remain drugs with the potential of abuse, their legitimate use in the treatment of certain disorders such as obesity, ADHD, and narcolepsy is warranted (Wood et al., 2013). Their mechanism of action makes them suitable for these indications and has granted them FDA recognition.
Most psychostimulants are derived from plants with evidence of traditional use among various cultures and ethnicities. Their use in current dispensation can be via different routes of administration. These include intravenous injections, insufflation, and inhalational routes, among others. The inhalational route provides the quickest onset of action. The pharmacodynamics of these agents reveal that their center of activity is in the brain. They increase the levels of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens to bring about the reinforcing effects of these drugs. This also explains their propensity to cause addiction in their users (Wood et al., 2013). Additionally, these agents cause peripheral increases in both dopamine and norepinephrine levels, which results in sympathetic effects such as increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, and hyperthermia, among other sympathetic effects.
The basis of their abuse is the behavioral effects that these agents possess when used at lower doses. These agents cause a positive mood with characteristic alertness, euphoria, and increases in energy. On the flip side, a negative mood may also be apparent with characteristic paranoia and anxiety. However, when used at higher doses, these agents produce psychotic-like symptoms like those seen in schizophrenics.
The chapter concludes by highlighting the treatment strategies for addiction attributable to the use of psychostimulants. Pharmacological therapies have been utilized to target the same receptor sites as these agents. Tricyclic antidepressants are examples of such agents that have found considerable use in the management of these addicts.
References
Field, M., & Kersbergen, I. (2019). Are animal models of addiction useful? Addiction, 115(1), 6-12. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.14764
Wood, S., Sage, J., Shuman, T., & Anagnostaras, S. (2013). Psychostimulants and Cognition: A Continuum of Behavioral and Cognitive Activation. Pharmacological Reviews, 66(1), 193-221. https://doi.org/10.1124/pr.112.007054
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Question 
Name of Book: Drugs and the Neuroscience of Behavior by Prus
Read Chapters 5 and 6 of your Textbook
Summarize each Chapter for this assignment
A good suggestion with a summary is to write down, from memory, what the reading was about without returning initially to the original reading material. This way, you are using your thoughts and your own words.
Research Summary- Drugs and the Neuroscience of Behavior
Within the summary for these chapters, you want to use your own words, condense the information, and provide accurate representations of the main points. A summary should only highlight the main points of the reading.
The summary should be more than just an outline of the reading with direct quotes, sentences, words, etc., from the reading itself.
Include within the summary a reflection on the material you read. What were your thoughts, what did you learn, what would you like to learn more about?
APA format should be used. The textbook should be included as a reference.