Compare and Contrast How Cocaine, Ecstasy, Heroin and Cannabis Work in the Brain

According to the biological perspective, drug use may start off as casual, but through continued use, it produces changes in the brain that influences the onset and maintenance of drug addiction. (Horvath et al., 2013). Drugs have their most prominent effects on the function of neurotransmitters. Almost all major drugs of abuse activate the reward system and cause a flood in the levels of dopamine which is a neurotransmitter that is involved in pleasure. As a result, not only do people learn to associate drug use with pleasure, but the brain also starts to reduce its own natural dopamine production in adjustment to the levels of dopamine produced by the drugs. This is called tolerance, and the consequences of tolerance are highly influential

Cocaine’s mode of action has been shown to involve the dopamine receptors. This paper will discuss how cocaine affects dopamine receptors, the mode of addiction, how cocaine affects the frontal brain metabolic activities, as well as the role of excitatory amino acids in cocaine’s mechanism. I will also discuss how cocaine affects another system through its mechanism on the brain—the renin angiotensin system.

The addictive properties of cocaine are a dopamine D2-receptor researchers “indicate that these dopaminergic neural systems play an important part in rewarding effects” (Miller, Gold, Smith, 1997, p.64).

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.

Drug seeking behaviors comes from medical patients who abuse prescription drugs. They tend to visit physician and exert escalated pressure to obtain prescription drugs. Other drugs such as cocaine may disrupt the brain function through three way alike snorting, smoking, and injecting cocaine is how it inter the blood stream and all area of the brain. However, its euphoric effects are mediated in certain areas. For instance, prescription drugs are oral alike marijuana, Acetaminophen, Adderall, Xanax, Codeine, Oxycodone, Ibuprofen 800 these prescription reaches or become associated with the reward pathway. Meanwhile that is why each prescribed drug is provided with a certain dosages, possible drug interactions, side effects, and contraindications

Addictive drugs cause dopamine neurons to release dopamine, the pleasure hormone. The narcotics disable the neurons that would usually keep the dopamine neurons in check; becoming over stimulated. Endorphins are produced and released within the brain, creating a high and reinforcing the individual’s positive associations with the activity. Hence “the rush” (Molintas, 2006)

The [C]raclopride plays a role in determining the extracellular dopamine in the synapse. The theory of addiction is the idea that addictive drugs have a particular nature of releasing dopamine, while psychoactive non-addictive drugs do not. Alcohol and Cannabis have been demonstrated to lack certain qualities associated with inducing the release of dopamine in comparison to [C]cocaine. Figure 2 demonstrates an increase of dopamine levels in the ventral striatum which is produced by amphetamine and alcohol administration. In regards to [C]cocaine, there is a reduction in the radiotracer as a result of decreased expression of postsynaptic dopamine receptors. Alcohol dependent individuals demonstrated to have a decreased number of radiotracers, and cannabis detected almost no changes in the dopamine receptor availability. The article itself suggested that addiction is a complex mechanism that involves external factors such as environment, along with variation in drug reaction from person to person. It was suggested he it was unlikely that a single neurotransmitter could explain every aspect associated with addiction. The role of dopamine is concluded to have a central role in addiction to ‘stimulant drugs; which directly affect the dopamine system, but less so, in reference to mediating the addiction of other drugs – such as

According to (Stevens & Smith, 2013) alcohol and marijuana can affect the brain nerve cells by changing their functioning. These nerve cells produces neurotransmitters; brain chemicals called dopamine, which help control the brain's reward and pleasure, and send messages to other regions of the brain to coordinate body movements, and emotional responses (Stevens & Smith, 2013). When a person becomes a chronic drug user, the dopamine levels will sooner or later decrease as it seeks more reward of the effect of the drugs (Stevens & Smith, 2013). After a while, the user's dopamine level will decrease, and the user is more prone to develop an addiction problem. When this happens, the brain is no longer receiving normal messages needed to respond normally.

Drugs have been around for a very long time. They are used for a variety of reasons. Some of these reasons include relaxation, socialization, curiosity, stress relief, or a form of escapism. However, most people don’t know the threats and danger that it can cause to the body. In this paper, we are going to examine the changes that happen inside the brain due to the effects of different drugs. We will look closely at how drugs such as hallucinogens, ecstasy, cocaine, heroin, and cannabis affect an individual psychologically. I will explain the origin of the drugs, how a person feels while on the drug, how the drugs

Also, some areas process information from our senses, allowing people to see, feel, hear, and taste. Drugs are chemicals, and when someone puts them into their body, they tap into the brain's communication system, and tamper with the way nerve cells usually send, receive, and process information. Different drugs work differently, and there are at least two ways that drugs work in the brain. One of them is imitating the brain's natural chemical messengers, and another way is by, overstimulating the "reward circuit" of the brain. Also, drugs that are like marijuana and heroin, have chemical structures that imitate that of a neurotransmitter that naturally occurs in peoples' bodies. These drugs could "fool" peoples' receptors, lock onto them, and activate the nerve cells. But, they do not work the same way as a natural neurotransmitter, and the neurons end up sending abnormal messages through the brain, which could cause problems for peoples' brains, and their

Substance addiction can hugely impact on a person’s thinking, functioning and behaviour. Whilst depressant drugs such as alcohol and opioids slow down your central nervous system (CNS), stimulants such as cocaine or amphetamine increase the activity of the CNS, leading to higher blood pressure, heart rate and increased alertness. Repeated abuse of the substance leads to tolerance and withdrawal, in turn this leads to the user showing signs of irrational behaviour. Another form of substance abuse is hallucinogens; they can cause powerful changes in sensory perceptions. It works by binding to the serotonin receptors, these neurons control visual information and emotions, and this can lead to various effects on the user. Neurobiology can help us understand the reasons for addiction and the effects they have on us. Groman and Jentsch (2012) discuss key issues of differentiating the causes and consequences of addiction through neuroimaging and behavioural research on monkeys, they found that the dysfunction of the dopamine

An individual’s behavior and emotion becomes chemically altered often resulting in dependency, aggression, onset of diseases and poor judgement. This poses a dangerous threat to the neurotransmitters since they have multiple jobs in different parts of the brain. Drugs of abuse are able to exert influence over the brain reward pathway either by directly influencing the action of dopamine within the system, or by altering the activity of other neurotransmitters that exert a modulatory influence over this pathway. These drugs are often powerful and have been known to trigger schizophrenic behavior and can also cause a person to cease breathing, for example hallucinogens such as LSD, mescaline, and psilocybin are able to artificially stimulate the serotonin receptor (Sapolsky, 2005).

Heroin is an illegal, highly addictive drug. It is both the most abused and the most rapidly acting of the opiates. Heroin is processed from morphine, a naturally occurring substance extracted from the seedpod of certain varieties of poppy plant

Dopamine is a chemical naturally produced in the body. In the brain, dopamine functions as a neurotransmitter, which provides feelings of euphoria and well-being. Endorphins are naturally occurring opioids that activate the dopamine pathway. All addictive substances activate the dopamine pathway. A person takes a drug, be it marijuana or cocaine or even alcohol, activating the same brain circuits as do behaviors linked to survival, such as eating, bonding, and sex. The drug causes a surge in the level of dopamine, which results in feelings of pleasure. The brain remembers this pleasure and wants it repeated. If the brain senses that too much dopamine is being released, it will adapt and inhibit dopamine release in an effort to normalize brain

The drug Cocaine alters chemical levels in the brain which can lead the user to have the ‘feel good’ factor.