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TEACH 1.3-7
Teaching Tip
Reinforce students’ study of
neurotransmitters and action
potentials with Figure 1.3-9, which
shows how drugs affect the action
at the synapse. By discussing this
figure, you will find out whether
students learned the material covered
in Module 1.3a. If students understand
this material after having learned
about action potentials, they will have
successfully transferred their learning
from one module to another.
CONNECT 1.3-7
Explain to students that drugs can
have such an effect on the body
because they are chemically similar to
the brain’s natural neurotransmitters.
For example:
• Cocaine is chemically similar to
dopamine.
• Opiates are chemically similar to
endorphins.
• LSD is chemically similar to Copyright © Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers.
serotonin. Distributed by Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers. Not for redistribution.
TEACH 1.3-7
Enrichment
Tell students that Sigmund Freud
was a strong advocate for the use of
cocaine in his early years. He took
the drug himself on a daily basis and
advised its use as a treatment for
mental and physical disorders (such
as asthma), as an aphrodisiac, and
as a local anesthetic. Freud was even
hired by two pharmaceutical firms, 03_myersAPpsychology4e_28116_ch01_002_163.indd
Merck and Parke-Davis, to pro-
mote the use of their cocaine-based
products.
48 Unit 1 Biological Bases of Behavior
03_HammerTE4e_47547_ch01_2a_163_4pp.indd 48
AP Science Practice Check Your Understanding
Examine the Concept Apply the Concept
▶ ▶Explain how a stimulant affects behavior. ▶ ▶Think of a friend or family member who is addicted to
▶ ▶Explain the physiological effects of nicotine. nicotine. What do you think would be most effective to say to
▶ ▶Explain the withdrawal symptoms someone should expect that person to convince them to try to quit?
when quitting smoking.
Answers to the Examine the Concept questions can be found in Appendix C at the end of the book.
AP Exam Tip Cocaine
®
Cocaine is a powerfully addictive stimulant derived from the coca plant. The recipe for
Figure 1.3-9 is an excellent review Coca-Cola originally included a coca extract, creating a mild cocaine tonic intended for
tired elderly people. Between 1896 and 1905, Coke was indeed “the real thing.” Today,
of how neurotransmitters work. If
there is any part of this figure that cocaine is snorted, injected, or smoked (sometimes as crack cocaine, a faster-working crys-
you don’t understand, head back tallized form that produces a briefer but more intense high, followed by a more intense
to the beginning of Module 1.3 for
a complete explanation. crash). Cocaine enters the bloodstream quickly, producing a rush of euphoria that depletes
the brain’s supply of the neurotransmitters dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine
(Figure 1.3-9). Within the hour, a crash of agitated depression follows as the drug’s effect
wears off. After several hours, the craving for more wanes, only to return several days later
(Gawin, 1991).
In situations that trigger aggression, ingesting cocaine may heighten reactions. Caged
Figure 1.3-9 rats fight when given foot shocks, and they fight even more when given cocaine and foot
Cocaine euphoria and crash
Sending
neuron
Action
potential
Reuptake
Synaptic gap
Receiving neuron
Neurotransmitter Cocaine
molecule Receptor
(a) sites (b) (c)
Neurotransmitters carry a message from a The sending neuron normally reabsorbs By binding to the sites that normally reabsorb
neurotransmitter molecules, cocaine blocks
sending neuron across a synapse to receptor
excess neurotransmitter molecules, a
sites on a receiving neuron. process called reuptake. reuptake of dopamine, norepinephrine, and
serotonin (Ray & Ksir, 1990). The extra
neurotransmitter molecules therefore remain
in the synapse, intensifying their normal mood-
altering effects and producing a euphoric rush.
When the cocaine level drops, the absence of
these neurotransmitters produces a crash.
48 Unit 1 Biological Bases of Behavior
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