Substance Use Disorders: Assessment and Treatment, 2nd Edition _ ___________________________________
Self-Assessment Question
response identified as withdrawal symptoms. This response is particularly acute for individuals with co-occurring PTSD, who tend to have a high rate of substance use problems as well as a high rate of relapse (SAMHSA, 2021a). To understand the process of addiction, it is necessary to have a basic understanding of neurons and neurotransmitters. Neurons are cells located throughout the central and periph- eral nervous systems. They are responsible for producing and transporting chemical messages within and between these two systems. Neurotransmitters are the chemicals that produce, inhibit, or transport these electrical signals, or messages, between neurons. The nature of the message transmission depends on both the particular neurotransmitter involved and the pathways of transmission. Different neurotransmit- ters and pathways produce different effects on perception, emotion, cognition, and behavior. Neurotransmitters that are considered inhibitory have the effect of reducing signals to particular areas of the brain and nervous system, whereas the excitatory neurotransmitters increase signaling to specific areas. The neurotransmitters most studied in relation to alcohol and other psychotropic drugs of abuse are serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, and acetylcholine.
2. What are neurotransmitters?
A) Cells located throughout the central and peripheral nervous systems. B) Substances responsible for producing and transporting chemical messages within the central and peripheral nervous systems. C) Chemicals that produce, inhibit, or transport electrical signals, or messages, between neurons. D) All of the above Studies that examine neural pathway changes associated with these neurotransmitters have found functional impairments in the brain’s reward centers that cause individuals to experience decreases in the reward associated with their drug use over time. This dynamic relates to the previously discussed concept termed tolerance whereby individuals experience a smaller and smaller psychoactive effect from the same dosage of the sub- stance, with the likely consequence that they will increase the quantity and/or frequency of its use. This process, of course, increases the risks of the drug’s immediate and long-term side effects on overall mental and physical health status.
HPA Axis
From Western Schools, 2018.
Figure 2
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