Drugs Affect on Brain Essay Example

brain stem, Limbic system, and cerebral cortex.

The brain stem controls basic functions critical to life, such as heart rate, breathing, and sleeping. The limbic system contains the brain's reward circuit it links together a number of brain structures that control and regulate our ability to feel pleasure. Feeling pleasure motivates us to repeat behaviors such as eating. The limbic system is activated when we perform these activities and also by drugs of abuse. In addition, the limbic system is responsible for our perception of other emotions, both positive and negative, which explains the mood altering roperties of many drugs. The cerebral cortex is divided into areas that control specific functions. Different areas process information from our senses, enabling us to see, feel, hear, and taste. The front part of the cortex, the frontal cortex or forebrain, is the thinking center of the brain, it powers our ability to think, plan, solve problems, and make decisions. How drugs work in the brain Drugs are chemicals they work in the brain by tapping into the brain's communication system and interfering with the way nerve cells normally send, receive, and process information.

Some drugs, such as marijuana and heroin, can activate neurons because their chemical structure mimics that of a natural neurotransmitter. This fools receptors and allows the drugs to lock onto and activate the nerve cells. Although these drugs mimic brain chemicals, they don't activate nerve cells in the same way as a natural neurotransmitter, and they lead to abnormal messages being transmitted through the network. Other drugs, such as amphetamine or cocaine, can cause the nerve cells to release abnormally large amounts of natural neurotransmitters or prevent

the normal recycling of these brain chemicals.

This disruption produces a greatly amplified message, ultimately disrupting communication channels. The difference in effect can be described as the difference between someone whispering into your ear and someone shouting into a microphone. Taking drugs over a period of time Just as we turn down the volume on a radio that is too loud, the brain adjusts to the overwhelming surges in dopamine and other receptors by producing less dopamine or by reducing the number of receptors that can receive signals.

As a result, dopamine's impact on the reward circuit of a drug abuser's brain can become abnormally low, and the ability to experience any pleasure is reduced. This is why the abuser eventually feels flat, lifeless, and depressed, and is unable to enjoy things that previously brought them pleasure. Now they need to take drugs just to try and bring their dopamine function back up to normal. As well they must take larger amounts of the drug than they first did to create the dopamine high an effect known as tolerance. Consequences of drugs Many people use drugs in order to escape physical and emotional discomfort.

Maybe you started drinking to numb feelings of depression, smoking pot to deal with stress at home or school, relying on cocaine to boost your energy and confidence, using sleeping pills to cope with panic attacks, or taking prescription painkillers to relieve chronic back pain. (“Drug Abuse and Addiction”, 2010) In addition to the effects various drugs of abuse may have on the brain many drugs produce global body changes such as dramatic changes in appetite and increases in body temperature, which may impact

a variety of health conditions.

Withdrawal from drug use also may lead to numerous adverse health effects, including restlessness, mood swings, fatigue, changes in appetite, muscle and bone pain, insomnia, cold flashes, diarrhea, and vomiting. Conclusion Drugs are one of the most dangerous things that we can do as humans. With all the evidence that drugs are extremely harmful on the body it’s a wonder why people do them. Evidence is clear that they do more harm then they could help entertain. They just leave the patient with a messed up brain and a greater possibility of death the more they are used.