QUESTIONS:

1. A reward system is typically used to encourage someone to carry out certain behaviors. Why do you think a reward system evolved in our human brains for specific behaviors like eating or having sex?

2. How do the following drugs impact the neurophysiology of the synapse in such a way that makes you feel pleasure: cocaine, methamphetamines, MDMA, and opiods?

QUESTIONS:

3. What is the name of the new drug being used to treat depression? Medically, what is another use for this drug?

4. What are some benefits of these ketamine-based antidepressants over SSRI styled anti-depressants such as Prozac or Paxil?

5. Why did the government scientist Phil Skolnick think that targeting glutamate pathways in the brain could be beneficial for treating depression?

6. Why do you think hallucinogenic drugs can be useful for treating psychological issues such as depression or addiction? (No wrong answers here :)

QUESTIONS:

7. What are some of the symptoms that people experience when trying to quit SSRI antidepressant drugs such as Prozac or Zoloft?

8. Briefly explain how SSRI antidepressant drugs work in the brain.

9. Given how these SSRI antidepressants work in the brain, why would someone trying to stop using the drugs need to taper much more gradually than psychiatrists have been recommending?

10. Based on these two articles, which type of antidepressant drug do you think would be easier for someone to be treated with and why?