PAC3351 Lecture Notes - Lecture 20: Bupropion, Nucleus Accumbens, Reinforcement

• School: Monash University
• Department: Pharmacy
• Course: PAC3351
• Professor: Dr. Phillip John Bergen

Document Summary

Smoking diary to record smoking triggers and high-risk smoking situations. 4d"s delay, deep breath, drink water, do something else. Nrt (8 weeks) / bupropion (7 weeks), varenicline (12-24 weeks) Nicotine -> binds to nic ach r in ventral tegmental area (vta), conformational change, influx of na+ and ca+ ions -> depolarisation, activating ap -> firing of dopamine into synapse of nucleus accumbens. Withdrawal symptoms irritability, anxiety and insomnia. Physical dependence: lower basal levels of dopamine -> withdrawal. Psychological dep: relapse due to changes in brain connections and associations. Nrt: binds to nic, reduces the amount of toxins in the pt that they would have gotten if they had smoked a cigarette instead, reducing withdrawal symptoms and relieves cravings. Varenicline: partial agonist-antagonist at nic ach r (a2b4 subunit), when taken with tobacco -> da(cid:373)pe(cid:374)s dow(cid:374) respo(cid:374)se, do(cid:374)"t feel as pleasa(cid:374)t -> breaking association between smoking and reward, reduces positive reinforcement.