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Physchology class research paper on affects of drug abuse on the brain
Addiction changes the brain chemistry
Physchology class research paper on affects of drug abuse on the brain
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Drugs have the power to harm the brain and body of many humans. Some use drugs for an escape, to feel pleasure, or maybe for no reason at all. But do people really understand the intensity of drug use and what it does to their brain? The brain is the most complex organ in the body. It controls all human activity and is needed to perform everyday tasks. The brain is used to breathe, communicate, feel, and the list continues. Drugs have the ability take over one’s brain and disrupt these daily functions.
The brain is operated by many different parts that each have their own responsibilities. Drugs have the ability to alter the brain in many negative ways. Drugs affect the life-sustaining functions of the brain, which can eventually lead to
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It controls basic functions that are critical to life. These necessary functions include breathing air, digesting food, and circulating blood. The cerebral cortex is the largest part of the brain. This is the part of the brain that is associated with thought and action. The cerebral cortex is divided into four sections which are known as lobes: the frontal lobe, parietal lobe, occipital lobe, and temporal lobe. Each lobe has a specific function. The frontal lobe controls emotional expression, problem solving, memory, language, judgment, and sexual behavior. The parietal lobe processes sensory information dealing with taste, temperature, and touch. The occipital lobe is responsible for processing visual information. The temporal lobe is in charge of processing auditory information. The limbic system contains the brain’s reward circuit. It is a complex set of structures that lies on both sides of the thalamus, just under the cerebrum. It includes the hypothalamus, the hippocampus, and the amygdala. The limbic system is primarily responsible for our emotional life, and has a lot to do with the formation of …show more content…
Each nerve cell in the brain sends and receives messages in the form of electrical and chemical signals. Once a cell receives and processes a message, it sends it on to other neurons. Neurotransmitters are known as the brain’s chemical messengers. Neurotransmitters are the messages that are carried between neurons by chemicals. There are several of drugs that impact several neurotransmitters. Dopamine and Serotonin are just a two examples of neurotransmitters that are negatively affected by drugs. Cocaine, Methamphetamine, and Amphetamine are the drugs that affect dopamine by altering pleasure and reward movement, attention, and memory. Serotonin is harmed by Ecstasy, LSD, and Cocaine because these drugs affect mood, sleep, sexual desire, and appetite. Other neurotransmitters that are hindered by drugs are Norepinephrine, Endogenous opioids, Acetylcholine, Glutamate, Endogenous cannabinoids, and Gamma-aminobutyric acid. Receptors are the brain's chemical receivers. The neurotransmitter attaches to a receptor, a specialized site on the receiving neuron. Scientists may say that a neurotransmitter and receptor have a “lock and key” relationship. They make sure that each and every receptor sends the right message after interacting with the appropriate type of neurotransmitter. Transporters are the brain’s chemical recyclers. They are
Typically, almost everyone in the world has taken drugs at some point in their life. Whether it be over the counter medication or prescription drugs. People get sick, they have illness, allegories, sexually transmitted diseases or other aches and pains. As you may already know, there is medication for each aforementioned problem. This is called drug use, which is using drugs for its intended purpose. However, the real dilemma happens when people began to misuse and abuse drugs.
The Frontal Lobe: Is the anterior part of cerebral hemisphere of the cerebrum of the brain, extending back to region called the central sulcus is a deep cleft on the upper surface of the brain. The frontal lobe is for intelligence which carries out high mental procedures such as thinking, judgment making, and forecasting. The human body uses their frontal lobe nearly every day. The frontal lobe
The brain controls pretty much everything you do, even while asleep. When drugs enter the brain, the substance can disturb the organ and change how the brain performs its duties to function. These changes are what lead to a continuous yearning for drugs or addiction. The signals a drug sends to the brain get confused with that of a euphoric chemical called dopamine, which makes you feel good. After repeated use of drugs the brain in most cases becomes damaged and irreparable. Adolescents are more prone to addiction due to the fact that their brains are not yet fully developed. The lack of maturity of the brain give health specialist the theory that drug use at an older age will reduce the chances of addiction.
The most commonly abused substances are Nicotine, Inhalants, Alcohol, Cocaine, Amphetamines, Prescription medications, Heroin, Ecstasy and Marijuana. 1a(National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2011) Initially, a person may find themselves using substances voluntarily and with confidence that they will be able to dictate their personal use. However, over the period of time that drug use is repeated, changes are taking place throughout the brain, whether it is functionally or structurally. Drugs contain chemicals that enter the communication system of the brain and disturb the way in which nerve cells would typically send, receive, and process information. The chemicals within these drugs will cause a disruption to the communication system by either imitating the brain’s natural chemical messengers or by over-stimulating the brains “reward system” by sending mass amounts of dopamine. As an individual prolongs his or her use of these substances, they may develop an addiction.
Chemical messengers transmit information from nerve cells to nerve cells in the body and the brain. Your nerve cells are called neurons, and their chemical messengers are called neurotransmitters. Chemicals like hallucinogens can disrupt this communication system, and the results are changes in the way you sense the world around you. There's still a lot that scientists don't know about the effects of hallucinogens on the brain, though. Some hallucinogens occur naturally in trees, vines, seeds, fungi and leaves.
There are many biological factors that are involved with the addicted brain. "The addicted brain is distinctly different from the nonaddicted brain, as manifested by changes in brain metabolic activity, receptor availability, gene expression, and responsiveness to environmental cues." (2) In the brain, there are many changes that take place when drugs enter a person's blood stream. The pathway in the brain that the drugs take is first to the ventral tegmentum to the nucleus accumbens, and the drugs also go to the limbic system and the orbitofrontal cortex, which is called the mesolimbic reward system. The activation of this reward system seems to be the common element in what hooks drug users on drugs (2).
Drug abuse is part of everyday life, most of us know someone who is or was abusing drug at some point. A way to simplify a difficult time in our life, we find an exit in a product that numbs our brain to the surrounding. People find addiction through drugs, activities and action that creates chemical reaction within our bodies. Whether you love jumping off the empire state building or inject yourself with a drug, you are looking for a high that your body enjoys. The body creates chemicals which stop our self-control. According to the CDC website, “Deaths from drug overdose have been rising steadily over the past two decades and have become the leading cause of injury death in the United States.” (Birnbaum HG, web).
Drugs are addictive substances that produce pleasant states such as euphoria or relieve distress. Drugs are classified into categories which include: depressants, stimulants, and hallucinogens. Depending on the type of drug and the way it is used, referring to if it is sniffed, swallowed, injected, or smoked depends the effect the addiction of that drug has on the body. Scientists such as Koob and Le Moal argue that drug addiction is caused by the dysregulation of the reward mechanism and subsequent allostasis which is the ability to achieve stability through change (Cami and Farre, 2003). Drug addiction produces adaptive changes in the central nervous
Development is a never ending cycle in life. Each person begins to develop from conception until passing away. Now, while most people think that development starts after birth that is incorrect. Development starts as soon as the baby is conceived. Everything that a woman carrying a baby does or takes place in will translate into the baby. The baby shares a blood flow with the mother. Drugs, even legal drugs, will go into the mother’s blood stream which will then go into the baby’s blood stream. The “maternal blood flows through the uterine arteries to the spaces housing the placenta, and it returns through the uterine vein to the maternal circulation” (Santrock, 2012, p. 80). This means that anything that enters into the blood stream will also affect the baby. Each type of drug is under a certain category. Psychoactive drugs are drugs that are constantly being studier. According to Santrock (2012), psychoactive drugs are drugs that act on the nervous system to alter states of consciousness, modify perception, and change moods. (p.83). They come in three categories: stimulants, depressants, and hallucinogens. Stimulants include caffeine, cocaine, methamphetamine and nicotine. Some people say that pregnant woman do not know what taking these into their system is doing to their baby. Stimulants are becoming more popular and there effects need to be studied and known. Each stimulant affects the baby in short-term and long-term.
Drugs have very harmful effects on the user and the people with whom the user interacts.
Drug abuse affects the human brain in many ways. It can change homeostasis, which is the body’s natural balance, can alter the brain’s ...
Drug use is not healthy for the body because it not only affects the user, but that person’s potential spouse and children. Drugs have a long-term affect on the body, causing illnesses that can last a long time. “…because of their intoxicating effect on the brain, damaging impact on the body, adverse impact on behavior, and potential for abuse. Their use threatens the health…of users and nonusers alike” (Hartnett #4). Other such illnesses are cancer and heart disease these illnesses can be fatal and have caused a number of deaths.
The use of drugs is a controversial topic in society today. In general, addicts show a direct link between taking drugs and suffering from their effects. People abuse drugs for a wide variety of reasons. In most cases, the use of drugs will serve a type of purpose or will give some kind of reward. These reasons for use will differ with different kinds of drugs. Various reasons for using the substance can be pain relief, depression, anxiety and weariness, acceptance into a peer group, religion, and much more. Although reasons for using may vary for each individual, it is known by all that consequences of the abuse do exist. It is only further down the line when the effects of using can be seen.
Abuse can cause countless medical problems to the body. A person who is addicted will continue to stimulate themselves regardless if they are aware of the negative chain reactions. Once addicted, it becomes difficult to stop due to how the body has become dependent. Health will be harmed the more a stimulant is used. Health effects include: cardiovascular disease, strokes, cancer, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, lung disease, mental disease, birth defects. Mental health is what keeps a person in the right mind to make better decisions and have better control in life. Drugs have the ability to change mood and behavior. If drugs have affected the brain already, the desire increases which changes mental health. Some may not realize that they have been affected their health negatively. “A person who abuses drugs may not realize they have a problem until pronounced effects of drug abuse are seen, often physically. While drug abuse effects on the body vary depending on the drug used, all drug abuse negatively impacts one 's health (Addictions Community). Since drugs create many health issues, treatment is not a simple task. Treatments are hard to obtain and addictions often go
Drugs are chemicals that change the way a person's body or mind works. Drugs are not good for health as they have many side effects and damage our brain, heart and other important organs. Drug is a depressant that slows down the functions of the central nervous system and makes us less aware of the events around us. I...