What do all abused substances have in common? What are some inherited factors that might lead to an increased vulnerability to substance abuse?
What will be an ideal response?
It would be expected that abused substances would share some common effects on the brain, and there is evidence of this. It appears that drugs such as alcohol, cocaine, and opium all act on a system in the brain that is involved in pleasure. Thus, these drugs act on a system in the brain that normally serves to reward behaviors that are beneficial. While psychoactive drugs may have similar effects in the brain of everyone, there is evidence that those with a genetic predisposition for substance abuse may show an altered response to drugs. Males who are genetically predisposed to develop alcoholism, for example, appear to feel greater stress reduction than others when they drink alcohol and show other physiological differences in how they respond to alcohol. It is believed that these differences can explain the observed role of genes in the development of substance use disorders. Altered drug responsiveness, as well as personality traits, may be inherited and result in a greater risk of substance abuse and dependence. GRADING RUBRIC - 10 points total - 4 points for explanation of reward system involvement, 3 points for each of two inherited factors that increase vulnerability.
You might also like to view...
In an experiment, two groups of college students were shown the same pictures of 25 women from a different campus. However, for one group, the photos were altered to make the faces in the photographs appear more symmetrical. Participates rated the attractiveness of the women on a one-to-ten scale with ten being very attractive and one be very unattractive. In this experiment, what was the independent variable?
a. whether or not the photographs where symmetrical b. the one to ten attractiveness rating scales c. the sex of the person in the pictures d. whether or not the subjects were college students
Which two doctors were able to identify important language centers in the brain by studying their patients?
A) Gall and Spurzheim B) Broca and Wernicke C) Mesmer and Freud D) Galton and Wundt