2.5: Influence of Drugs on Neural Firing Flashcards
Psychoactive Drugs
Refer to any substance that alters our perceptions and moods.
Oftentimes these substances are illicit and can lead to substance use disorders and addictions.
People who suffer from addiction may experience negative withdrawal symptoms when attempting to quit using the substance because their body has grown accustomed to it.
Tolerance
The more someone uses a substance, the more the person’s body would cause them to have to take more and more of the substance to achieve the same high.
Three Main Categories of Drugs
Depressants, Stimulants, & Hallucinogens.
Depressants
One classification of drugs that reduce or slow our neural activity and body functions.
A few depressants are alcohol, barbiturates, and opiates.
Alcohol (Depressants)
The most commonly used depressant in the world. However, its effects are drastic and people often get way too carried away with the consumption of alcohol.
The main effects of alcohol include slowed neural processing, memory disruption, reduced self-awareness, and reduced self-control.
Low doses of alcohol relax the drinker by slowing down the sympathetic nervous system but large doses cause all of the above.
What Does Alcohol Suppress?
REM sleep due to blackout because they would have no memory of the event.
What Can Addiction Marked By?
Addiction is marked by tolerance, withdrawal, and excessive uses.
Barbiturates (Depressants)
Tranquilizers that suppress the activity of the central nervous system.
They are prescribed to reduce anxiety, induce sleep, and prevent seizures.
However, the combined use of barbiturates and alcohol is very deadly.
Opiates (Depressants)
Depress neural activity, temporarily lessening pain and anxiety as well.
Opiates, such as morphine and heroin, stop the production of endorphins.
Endorphins are the body’s natural painkiller and since opiates mimic endorphins, stopping the drug could mean death by overdose. As a result of the pleasure felt by taking opiates, they are extremely addictive.
Stimulants
Another classification of drugs that are known to excite neural activity and speed up body functions.
Drugs that fall into this category include nicotine, amphetamines, methamphetamine, cocaine, ecstasy, and MDMA.
Nicotine (Stimulants)
Found in the highly addictive drug, tobacco.
Smokers develop a quick tolerance to nicotine and are very prone to withdrawal symptoms.
Smoking has so many horrifying effects that it actually decreases life expectancy, killing off many people at a young age.
What Happens When You Smoke a Cigarette?
Nicotine causes a signal to be sent to the central nervous system, telling it to release several neurotransmitters:
- Epinephrine and norepinephrine diminish appetite and boost alertness.
- Dopamine and serotonin calm anxiety and reduce the ability to feel pain.
- These short term rewards of smoking have a long term price to the body.
Cocaine (Stimulants)
A highly addictive drug, producing alertness and euphoria.
However, within an hour of taking cocaine, a crash of depression comes upon your body. This leads to mood swings, cardiac arrest, or failure to breathe.
Euphoria
A state of excitement that occurs as a result of the brain being depleted of dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine.
Hallucinogens
Another classification of drugs that are known to distort perception and evoke sensory images without any actual sensory input.
Hallucinogenic experiences are often similar to the altered state of consciousness that occurs when people have a near-death experience.
