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Addiction
The assignment!
Now that youve all* submitted your proposals, heres what to
expect:
Since the proposal is pass/fail, you may get either a 0 or a 5.
If you get a 5, start working on your project, taking into account
the suggestions made by your TA.
If you get a 0, dont worry, you will have one week from when
your proposal is returned to resubmit.
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The assignment!
Keep in mind that we are marking assignments on content
and eort (among other things). Check the rubric on
cuLearn for details.
Getting a 5 on your proposal does not guarantee a good
mark on the assignment.
A 5 on the proposal simply means that youve proposed an
acceptable idea. Its still up to you to make into a good quality
assignment.
We will be looking at your effort level and content and grading you
based on that.
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Assignment rubric
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How to submit
You dont need to worry about this for a while (the assignment is due the
last day of class). But just so you know
You might decide to actually make a Facebook page, Twitter account,
etc., This is fine, but not required.
As Ive said, you can hand in a word document with the content (pictures and
writing) and skip the step of making an account.
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References
Dont forget to include references for things you say in the
assignment.
This includes articles and lectures from this class.
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1)%Browse%to%the%event/group%
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2)%Click%File,%Print%
3)%Click%PDF%and%select%Save%as%PDF%
4)%DoubleMcheck%that%it%worked,%then%
submit%that%PDF.%
1)%Browse%to%the%event/group%
NEUR%1201%%Fall%2013%%Harry%MacKay%
2)%Click%File,%Print%
3)%Select%Microso./XPS/Document/
Writer%as%your%printer%
4)%Click%OK%and%send%the%resulPng%le.%
Note:
The previous examples work equally well for other sites like
Twitter, Pintrest, etc.,
Just make sure you check that the file contains everything
you want it to before you send it!
NEUR%1201%%Fall%2013%%Harry%MacKay%
Source:%Some%guy%from%my%high%school%who%
really%liked%smoking.%%
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Source:%Gaser%C%&%Schlaug%G.%Brain%Structures%
Dier%between%Musicians%and%NonMMusicians.%%
The$Journal$of$Neuroscience,%2003.%
The midterm!
October 17th, here, during class
time.
Material covered: Lectures 1-12,
articles 1-6.
Types of questions:
Multiple choice (scantron)
Definitions
Short-answer
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Example definitions
Definitions are marked out of 2, and should include two pieces of information on the
definiendum (the word being defined).
Example:
4) Drug
0 - bad
4) Drug
-Substances that affect the
function of the brain and body
1 - ok
4) Drug
-Substances that exert a relatively
large effect on physiology.
-Can be naturally occurring or
synthetic
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2 - best
Short answers are worth varying amounts (between 1-7 points). At minimum, your answer
should include as many pieces of information as there are points in the question.
Example: Using information from Nestlers article and lectures, explain what the science of
epigenetics tells us about drug addiction? (4)
0 - bad
- good
- best
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Cocaine!
Cocaine was once a key ingredient in CocaCola (the name is not a coincidence.)
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Psychological eects:
Euphoria, racing thoughts, reduced appetite, psychosis at high doses.
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The rapid onset of eects, combined with how quickly the eects
disappear makes cocaine very addictive.
Users are lured by the rush, but since its effects are so short-lived,
they tend to use the drug over and over again.
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VTA!
NAc!
Hipp!
Dopamine
reuptake !
transporter!
Dopamine receptor!
Dopamine
reuptake !
transporter!
Cocaine!
Tolerance to cocaine
Repeated cocaine administration can lead to
two major compensatory adaptations in the
dopamine synapse. The purpose of these
changes is to compensate for the excess
dopamine caused by cocaine.
Dopamine
reuptake !
transporter!
Dopamine receptor!
Cocaine withdrawal
The compensatory changes seen in cocaine
tolerance remain in place for a while, even after
the user quits using cocaine. The brain does
not immediately return to normal.
After quitting cocaine, the reduced numbers of
dopamine receptors, and the reduction in
dopamine release can remain for weeks.
Since the function of the reward system is
reduced, nothing will seem enjoyable. This
inability to experience pleasure is called
anhedonia - without pleasure (G.)
The system gradually returns to homeostasis,
but because the transition out of active drug
use involves a period of withdrawal symptoms,
addicts are often unable to quit cold turkey.
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Dopamine
reuptake !
transporter!
Dopamine receptor!
Cocaine withdrawal
Note
Antagonists
Since this is a course on the brain, every drug we talk about will aect
one or more neurotransmitter systems.
Therefore, you should always ask yourself what neurotransmitter system
does this drug affect, and does the drug act like an agonist or an
antagonist?
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1.
3.
1. Cocaine is chemically linked to the cholera toxin.
2. When injected, the bodys B cells recognize it as a bacterial intruder and
generate anti-cocaine antibodies.
3. Later on, when the user takes cocaine, the bodys acquired immunity kicks in,
and the anti-cocaine antibodies bind to the cocaine molecules.
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1.
2.
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Mouse party!
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/addiction/drugs/mouse.html
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