NEUR 3200 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Inhalant, Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor, Cerebellum

• School: Carleton University
• Department: Neuroscience
• Course: NEUR 3200
• Professor: Patrice Smith

Document Summary

Abused inhalants often come from everyday household items. They have the following characteristics: volatile li(cid:395)uid o(cid:396) gas at (cid:396)oo(cid:373) te(cid:373)pe(cid:396)atu(cid:396)e, used (cid:271)(cid:455) i(cid:374)hali(cid:374)g fu(cid:373)es i(cid:374) (cid:448)a(cid:396)ious (cid:449)a(cid:455)s, do (cid:374)ot (cid:271)elo(cid:374)g to a(cid:374)othe(cid:396) defi(cid:374)ed (cid:272)lass of a(cid:271)used su(cid:271)sta(cid:374)(cid:272)es, do (cid:374)ot (cid:271)elo(cid:374)g to a(cid:374)othe(cid:396) defi(cid:374)ed (cid:272)lass of abused substances. Exam volatile solvents are liquid at room temperature but give off fumes that can be inhaled. Exam aerosols are sprays that contain various solvents and other chemicals. Most inhalant users do not become dependent, but some escalate usage and develop tolerance and dependence. There is also evidence for a withdrawal syndrome, with symptoms such as nausea, fatigue, irritability, anxiety, sleep disturbances, and craving. Behavioral and neural effects neural mechanisms underlying reward and reinforcement are not known. Two studies found that toluene activated da neurons in the vta either when inhaled by rats or when directly applied to the vta in vitro. Behavioral and neural effects mechanisms of inhalant action are also not known.