These are review questions for the exam. The questions in the exam may not be identical but they will cover the same material. When ever possible you should endeavor to back up your answers with references to the assigned readings and/or the information covered in lectures.

Questions added on Friday are in red and in italics

Theory and research on addictions

In one of the early lectures of this semester I described three fundamentally different views of addiction in existence today. Please do the following: (a) list each of these views; (b) explain the different that make them distinctive and logically exclusive from one another.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of each view?

Which groups in our society are likely to support each of these views? Why?

 

Mechanisms of drug action

 All drugs have agonist and/or antagonist effects on the process of transmission of the neural impulse through the nervous system. Give clear definitions of agonist effect and antagonist effect.

Separately list and explain the different mechanisms that may be used by drugs with agonist and antagonist effects.

In lecture we discussed two different types on enzymes that are involved in the work conducted by neurons in the nervous system. List and describe the work performed by each of these types of enzymes.

Drug classification and diagnosis criteria

What is the basic difference in the effects of sedatives and anxiolitics?

Difference between a diagnosis of alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence.

Why is the chronicity of substance dependence implied in the current DSM-IV diagnistic criteria for substance dependence and substance abuse? (See "course specifiers" in diagnostic criteria)

According to what we discussed in lecture, what has been one of the major changes in the criteria for the diagnosis of substance abuse dependence since its early conceptions to its current state in the DSM-IV?

 Schuckit and his colleagues ("Evolution of the DSM diagnostic criteria for alcoholism") as well as Grant and Towle ("A comparison of diagnostic criteria") trace the development of the concept of alcoholism from the initial versions of the DSM through the most recent version of the manual (DSM-IV). Throughout this history, what has been the basic difference between a diagnosis of alcohol abuse and a diagnosis of alcohol dependence?

Disease model

What is meant by addiction as a "primary disease"?

What is meant by "genotype" and "phenotype"?

How is an adoption study designed?

How are MZ and DZ twin pairs different?

How is a twin study designed?

What is the concordance rate in a twin study?

According to adoption and twin study research, what are the respective roles of genetics and environment in the etiology (origin) of alcoholism?

As part of a twin study Kaprio et al. (1987) asked MZ and DZ twins to report on their frequency of social contact. Briefly describe the general trend observed by these researchers regarding this contact AND explain how this trend might be reflected in the results of twin studies.

Cadoret (1995) discusses two other confounds often found in geneti research: selective placement and assortative mating. Define these concepts and exaplin each may affect the validity of twin studies.

What is the importance of the dopamine pathway in explaining addiction?

What is the difference between early onset and late onset alcoholism? What is the relative importance of genetic and environmaantal factors for each type?

Three different mechanisms (presented in lecture) have been proposed to explain how a genetic predisposition may account for the development of addiction. Briefly describe each of these mechanisms.

 One proposed mechanism to explain alcoholism is based on the metabolism of alcohol in the body. Describe the process by which alcohol is metabolized and explain how it may provide an explanation for alcoholism.

 Describe the D2 receptor theory of addiction.

 Describe the P3 wave theory of addiction.

What is meant by addiction as a chronic disease? What is evidence supporting and not supporting this view?

Prescott and Kendler (1995) suggest that twin studies attempt to determine the liability for a clinical diagnosis of alcoholism depends on three major factors. (a) Define the concept of lability; (b) list and describe these three factors; (c) explain how these factor relate to each other to determine and individual's liability to alcoholism.