The Mission

Print out this page and read through the content to answer the questions.

1. Suppose Corey’s dog ate a few cigarettes…do you think the nicotine in the cigarette could kill him (the dog)? ________

2. Corey’s organs are shown below. Draw the path that the nicotine takes after Corey smokes a cigarette to get to the brain. Use arrows to designate the direction.

Hint: Look at Figure 1.4 to help you answer this question.

organs

3. In the image below, draw an arrow to the structures at the synapse where the nicotine works.

Hint: Look at Figures 1.7 and 1.8 to help you answer this question.

neurotransmitters

4. Which of the following effects is Corey likely to feel when nicotine is bound to receptors in his brain? Circle your answer.

  1. moody
  2. anxious
  3. alert
  4. depressed

5. Which of the following effects are produced when nicotine is bound to receptors in Corey’s heart and blood vessels? Circle your answer(s).

  1. reduced heart rate
  2. increased heart rate
  3. reduced blood pressure
  4. increased blood pressure

6. What is the main effect of nicotine on neurons?

  1. It increases the neuron’s electrical activity
  2. It decreases the neuron’s electrical activity

7. When Corey smokes, the nicotine stimulates activity of neurons along the reward pathway in his brain to increase feelings of pleasure (this explains why he likes smoking). Look at the picture of the brain and draw arrows along the reward pathway. Mark where it starts, and where it terminates.

Hint: Look at Figure 1.9 to help you answer this question.

reward pathway brain

8. Corey’s smoking over time caused several things to happen. Put a number next to the behavior in the order it occurs, and then draw a line to match the term with its definition.

___Addiction Corey feels normal when he smokes; if he doesn’t have a cigarette, he gets moody
___Tolerance Corey needs more nicotine to get the same effect he got before
___Dependence Corey can’t stop smoking when he wants to; he has lost control over his own decisions

9. Circle the behaviors that are most likely associated with the increased number of nicotine receptors you saw in the smoker’s PET scan.

 

Tolerance Dependence Addiction

10. Corey started smoking as an adolescent, at a time when the neurons in his brain were still forming their final synapses or connections.

What are the consequence(s) of this situation? Circle all that apply.

  1. Corey is more likely to become addicted
  2. Corey is more likely to become dependent
  3. Corey is more likely to have trouble quitting smoking
  4. Corey is more likely to try other addictive drugs