Question

A nurse is teaching the client about CNS medications and how they are addictive. What is the primary reason CNS medications are addictive?

A. The medication stimulates the brain's pleasure centers with enhanced neurotransmission of dopamine.
B. The medication stimulates the brain's sleep centers, so the client can sleep more soundly.
C. The medication stimulates the brain's visual centers, so the client sees everything more clearly.
D. The medication decreases the amount of dopamine released into the body, causing feelings of euphoria.

Answer 1

The primary reason CNS medications are addictive is due to their stimulation of the brain's pleasure centers by enhancing neurotransmission of dopamine, which leads to rewarding and pleasurable feelings and subsequent cravings.

Step-by-step explanation:

The primary reason CNS medications can be addictive is A. The medication stimulates the brain's pleasure centers with enhanced neurotransmission of dopamine. Psychoactive drugs, such as stimulants, often act as agonists of the dopamine neurotransmitter system, which increases the levels of dopamine available at neural synapses. This enhanced dopamine neurotransmission is associated with reward, pleasure, and craving - the core characteristic of addiction.

For instance, cocaine acts as a stimulant by preventing nerve cells from reabsorbing dopamine, thereby increasing its availability to stimulate the brain's pleasure centers. The resulting 'high' and the rapid depletion of dopamine post-consumption can leave the user craving more, which underpins the drug's addictive nature. Moreover, stimulants like amphetamines work similarly but also stimulate the release of dopamine, further emphasizing the role of this neurotransmitter in addiction processes.