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GI Web Glossary |
| There are 243 entries in the glossary. | Pages: «1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 » |
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| Term |
Definition |
| DOM | A hallucinogenic "designer drug" with psychedelic properties. |
| | dopamine | The neurotransmitter that produces feelings of pleasure when released by the brain reward system. |
| | dopamine transporter | A structure that straddles the cell membranes of axon terminals of dopamine-releasing neurons and rapidly removes dopamine from the synapse. |
| | double-blind trials | Studies of an experimental drug in which neither patient nor doctor knows whether the patient is receiving the experimental drug or some alternative (which might be a placebo if no treatment already exists). |
| | Dronabinol | The generic name of synthetic THC. |
| | drug abuse | Using illegal drugs; using legal drugs inappropriately. The repeated, high-dose, self-administration of drugs to produce pleasure, to alleviate stress, or to alter or avoid reality (or all three). |
| | drug treatment | A combination of detoxification, psychosocial therapy and, if required, skill acquisition to help people recover from addiction. |
| | drug-free treatment | A approach to helping addicts recover from addiction without the use of medication. |
| | dynorphins | Peptides with opiate-like effects that are made by neurons and used as neurotransmitters; one of the endogenous opiods that binds to opiate receptors. |
| | Ecstasy | (MDMA) A chemically modified amphetamine that has hallucinogenic as well as stimulant properties. |
| | enabling | Things that people who are close to addicts do unconsciously that either encourage, or at least do not interfere with, the addict's drug use. |
| | endogenous | Something produced by the brain or body. |
| | endorphins | Peptides with opiate-like effects that are made by neurons and used as neurotransmitters; one of the endogenous opioids that binds to opiate receptors. |
| | enkephalins | Peptides with opiate-like effects that are made by neurons and used as neurotransmitters; one of the endogenous opioids that binds to opiate receptors. |
| | enzyme | A large molecule that living organisms use to facilitate the transition from one form of a chemical to another. Enzymes are used to build, modify, or break down different molecules. |
| | Ether | An inhalant. Ether was one of the first anesthetics to be used in surgery, but has been replaced by more effective, safer anesthetics. |
| | euphoria | Intense pleasure. Drug-induced euphoria is a "rush" or pleasurable feeling. It is caused by the release of the neurotransmitter, dopamine, within the brain reward system. |
| | excitatory neurotransmitter | A neurotransmitter that acts to elicit an action potential or make it more likely that one will be elicited. |
| | explicit memory | Memories derived from conscious learning, using our senses and attention to store information about what is in the world and where and when events have occurred. |
| | fight-or-flight response | An automatic response of our body that prepares us to act to save ourselves when we become excited or scared. |
| | free will | Our ability to make choices and decisions that are not under the control of outside forces or prior causes. |
| | GABA | (gamma-aminobutyric acid) The major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain. |
| | gamma-aminobutyric acid | (GABA) The major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain. |
| | gene | Strands of DNA that contain the blueprint of all the molecules that make up our bodies. |
| | glial cells | Tiny brain cells that support neurons by performing a variety of "housekeeping" functions in the brain. |
| Special Thanks:
Addiction Studies Program - Wake Forest University School of Medicine
False Messengers: How Addictive Drugs Change the Brain by David Friedman, PhD, and Sue Rusche, Harwood Academic Publishers, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 1999. [www.addictionstudies.org]
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