#4 Neuroscience assignment

Essay Instructions:

This is a PowerPoint presentation, but can you please do it in Word? Textbook: Brain & Behavior: An Introduction to Behavioral Neuroscience Bob Garrett; Gerald Hough Exploring the Neuroscience of Drug Effects and Addiction Using Neuroimaging This assignment assesses the following Course Outcomes: PS215-2: Explore the use of neuroimaging techniques to understand how addiction changes the brain. This assignment provides the opportunity to deepen your understanding of addiction and its profound effects on the brain. Through this presentation, you will learn to identify the main classes of drugs, such as stimulants, depressants, and hallucinogens, and grasp their distinctive impacts on the nervous system. By delving into the specific effects of each drug class, you will be better equipped to predict the behavioral consequences associated with drug use, linking these outcomes to the neural systems they affect. This knowledge will enable you to appreciate how addiction transforms the brain through the concept of neuroplasticity, a concept introduced in the unit reading and Seminar, and covered within this assignment. You also have the chance to explore various neuroimaging techniques, such as CT scans, MRI, fMRI and PET scans, which play a pivotal role in understanding the structural and functional changes that occur in the addicted brain. Finally, you will gain insight into the importance of utilizing neuroimaging research to better understand addiction and its consequences. You will use the Unit 4 Assignment Template and you will be using the articles located last week in your review of research literature. Assess whether the resource is directly relevant to the topic of addiction and its effects on the brain. Ensure that the content aligns with the main objectives of your assignment, which include identifying drug classes, understanding their impacts on the nervous system, and exploring the concept of neuroplasticity. Slide 1: Title Title: Exploring the Neuroscience of Drug Effects and Addiction Your Name Purdue University Global PS215-Section Number-Unit 4 Assignment Instructor Name Date Slide 2: Introduction Briefly introduce the topic. Slide 3: Main Classes of Drugs Define and classify drugs into major categories (depressants, stimulants, hallucinogens, cannabis). Speaker notes - Give examples of drugs from each class. Slide 4-5: Effects on the Nervous System Slides for each major drug class. Speaker notes - Describe the specific effects of each drug class on the nervous system. Slide 6: Predicting Behavioral Consequences Discuss the concept of addiction and its impact on the brain. Speaker notes - Include information on neuroplasticity and reward pathways. Slide 7: Brain Changes in Addiction Discuss the long-term consequences of addiction on the brain. Slide 8: The Reward Circuit and Dopamine Explain the role of the reward circuit in addiction. Speaker notes - Highlight the release of dopamine and its association with drug addiction. Slide 9: Structural Neuroimaging Techniques Describe various structural neuroimaging methods (e.g., MRI, CT scans). Slide 10: Functional Neuroimaging Techniques Describe various functional neuroimaging methods (e.g., fMRI, PET scans). Slide 11: Neuroimaging Techniques Describe the differences between structural and functional imaging. Speaker notes - Describe the best uses for each type of imaging. Slide 12-14: Neuroimaging Research Findings Use specific examples from research journal articles to showcase how neuroimaging has revealed changes in the addicted brain. Discuss findings - was this a structural and functional test? Slide 15: References List the sources and references used in your presentation. Please review and follow the assignment requirements in the next tab titled Assignment Details. Your assignment should use the Unit 4 Assignment Template and be a 13-slide PowerPoint presentation, not including the title and reference slides, and should include the following elements: Title slide: Provide your name, title of assignment, course and section number, and date. Content slides: Answer all the questions, reflecting appropriate personal and professional insights. The assignment must be written in Standard English and demonstrate superior organization, including a highly developed viewpoint and purpose. Your responses should reflect professional writing standards, using proper tone and language. The writing and writing style should be correct, accurate, and reflect knowledge ethics. Presentations are visual; therefore, use clear, concise bullet points and avoid crowded slides. You may include the use of graphics and SmartArt to streamline information in a memorable manner. Additionally, images and diagrams are wonderful presentation tools, but be sure to include all required citations. Please review the Creating Effective PowerPoint Presentations resource for tips and suggestions. Submissions must be in .pptx format and no larger than 40 MB. Note: Visual effects and some dark colored themes, such as Slate, may prevent Turnitin from fully processing a PowerPoint file and, consequently, from generating a Similarity Report. Review the file requirements to ensure a report will be generated. Reference slide: Sources listed in current APA format. Include a minimum of three scholarly or academic sources to support your responses and conclusions. One is the textbook and the other two must be scholarly journal articles. Use Arial or Times New Roman 24-point font. Use current APA formatting and citation style.

Essay Sample Content Preview:

Exploring the Neuroscience of Drug Effects and Addiction Name Purdue University Global PS215-Section Number-Unit 4 Assignment Instructor Date Exploring the Neuroscience of Drug Effects and Addiction Introduction Drug use is steered by pharmacological effects acting as rewarding to the users. The rewarding feeling experienced by drug users is influenced by certain factors such as genetic makeup, Individual development, and psychosocial factors (Winger et al., 2005). The mentioned factors mediate some aspects of the drugs, including the availability of social support, values and norms, and access to the drugs. Dopamine signaling is the force behind the effects of drugs experienced by the users. Continuous use of drugs triggers the glutamatergic-mediated neuro adapters in the dopamine, preferably at the cortical region, which results in drug addiction among vulnerable individuals causing drug addiction (Winger et al., 2005). Studies in Neuroscience have shown that addiction is a chronic brain disease steered by repetition in drug exposure by vulnerable individuals with some genetic, developmental, and psychosocial characteristics (Winger et al., 2005). The consequence is the reduced capacity of the reward circuit, affecting its ability to act to reward and motivate non-drug stimulus. The self-regulation capacity is reduced, while the emotional circuit to stress is increased (Winger et al., 2005). Main Classes of Drugs A drug is a substance or medicine that alters the normal body function upon its use. Generally, drugs are categorized into two broad categories based on the effect they exert on the transmitter system. There are agonists or antagonists. The agonists resemble the neurotransmitter in several ways, such as exerting the same effects as the transmitter on the receptor, enhancing the effect of the transmitter on the receptor, or degrading the transmitter. On the other hand, the antagonists use two strategies: preventing the transmitter from binding to the receptor or decreasing the availability of the neurotransmitter. There are four major classes of drugs: depressants, stimulants, hallucinogens, and cannabis cannabis. Depressants A depressant refers to a drug that reduces the functioning of the central nervous system. Sedatives and hypnotic substances belong to this group. Specific examples in this group include alcohol, heroin, and Xanax. Stimulants A stimulant activates the central nervous system, producing elevated alertness, mood, or arousal. This category contains both legal and illegal substances. Caffeine falls under the legal substances, while cocaine is illegal. Each stimulant varies in the level of risk it exerts, but the most important thing lies in how it is utilized. Hallucinogens Hallucinogens, also called psychedelics, refer to drugs that distort an individual's perception of reality by changing their thoughts and how they feel and view their surroundings. Hallucinogens are known for distortions of different things. For example, the light, color, and details get intensified. Additionally, items may appear to change shape, and sound evokes some experiences. There are both synthetic and natural hallucinogens. Some hallucinogens are legal, while others are illegal. Hallucinogens are classified into three groups: serotonergic, catecholaminergic, and glutamatergic. Examples of hallucinogens are peyote, dimethyltryptamine, LSD, PCP, psilocybin (magic mushrooms), and MDMA (Winger et al., 2005). Cannabis Cannabis are drugs usually extracted from Cannabis sativa or Cannabis indica plant; the parts of the plant used are leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds, usually in dried form. The Cannabis plant contains a component known as THC and other components that alter one's mind. Two common examples of cannabis are marijuana and hashish. Effects on the Nervous System Depressants High doses of any depressant can paralyze the brain stem, which ultimately causes coma or death. BAC ranging from 0.30% to 0.40% is considered life-threatening, while BAC above 0.45% is considered fatal. The most abused and the oldest most abused drug in this class is alcohol. Alcohol is prepared by fermenting fruits such as grapes, grains such as barley, or any plant product that contains sugar. Alcohol exerts its effects on several parts of the brain, producing euphoria, reducing anxiety, causing motor incoordination, impairing cognitive ability, and sedating the mind. People drink alcohol for various reasons depending on the type of occasion or celebration. Alcohol intake can either be in low or high doses, each affecting the brain differently. Low doses of alcohol work as a behavioral stimulant, causing increased release of dopamine and switching off the inhibition exerted by the cortex over behavior. High doses of alcohol cause sedative or hypnotic effects. The high alcohol dose causes behavior to change from relaxation to unconsciousness. Studies have revealed that high doses of alcohol redu...

Updated on June 11, 2024

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