Question

You and your roommates have decided to go to a fraternity party on Saturday night. You arrive at the fraternity house and see another classmate, Jenn, from your psychology class. You go over to say hello and see what she thought of the first exam, but Jenn seems to be acting very strangely. She starts describing fantastic colors made by the lights and how the dance floor is a beautiful sea of diamonds. You take a look around and realize the lights are nothing special, while the floor is definitely made of wood. You take another look at Jenn; her pupils are dilated and she keeps hugging everyone. When she comes over to hug you and tell you how much she’s missed you since yesterday, you observe that Jenn is sweating and clenching her teeth. Additionally, you can feel her heartbeat when she makes contact with you. What drug has Jenn taken?

1. Determine what neurotransmitter is involved with the drug the individual in your case has been using and what led you to believe this.  As a bonus, see if you can identify the particular drug.

2. Determine what the subjective effects of the drug are (i.e., what has a person reported feeling after using the drug).

3. Determine what receptors, transporters, or neurotransmitters could be involved and how the drug affects these receptors, transporters, or neurotransmitters.

Answer 1

From the symptoms of hallucination, dilated pupils, sweating, clenching her teeth and rapid heart beat all indicate that she is under the influence of hallucinogen, Under the influence of hallucinogens, people see images, hear sounds, and feel sensations that seem real but do not exist. Some hallucinogens also produce rapid, intense emotional swings. Hallucinogens cause their effects by disrupting the interaction of nerve cells and the neurotransmitter serotonin.

1. Neurotransmitter most likely to be involved would be serotinin, from what symptoms she is expeirencing. Illicit drugs like LSD, ecstasy, cocaine and amphetamines, could increase the levels of serotinin, LSD , lysergic acid diethylamide,  is the drug most commonly identified with the term "hallucinogen" and the most widely used in this class of drugs.

2. LSD is a hallucinogenic drug, which means that it causes subjective changes to consciousness, emotions, and thoughts.

3.  LSD works by influencing the receptors involved in the regulation of serotonin, a neurotransmitter in the brain, perhaps in a brain area called ralphe nuclei, LSD could also work by acting on the receptors for dopamine, but the exact receptors are not known

LSD is also known by the name, acid, california sunshine, boomers, etc.