Effects Of Drug Addiction On The Brain
Briana Mack
Dr. M. Okulate
Biology 112 Honors
04 April 2014
Drug Addiction and the Effects on the Brain
The prevalence of drug addiction in America has been an epidemic in the past fifty years because of the violence and tragedy of events where drug use was the catalyst. Cocaine, Methamphetamine, Ecstasy, Amphetamine, Heroin, LSD and many more abused drugs have destroyed many lives and families from constant abuse of the substances that emasculate the body with every dose. Even though the United States of America have illegalized most of fatal drugs, addicts constantly use these drugs and numerous cause of deaths are by users overdosing on a particular drug. Addiction is a chronic, often relapsing brain disease that causes compulsive …show more content…
It takes the form of a white, odorless, bitter-tasting crystalline powder. Methamphetamine is taken orally, smoked, snorted, or dissolved in water or alcohol and injected. Smoking or injecting the drug delivers it very quickly to the brain, where it produces an immediate, intense euphoria. The pleasure also fades quickly; users often take repeated doses, in a “binge and crash” pattern. Meth negatively affects the brain similar to cocaine by increasing the amount of the neurotransmitter dopamine, leading to high levels of that chemical in the brain. Dopamine is involved in reward, motivation, the experience of pleasure, and motor function. Methamphetamine has the ability to release dopamine rapidly in reward regions of the brain produces the euphoric “rush” or “flash” that many users experience. People who use methamphetamine long-term may experience anxiety, confusion, insomnia, and mood disturbances and display violent behavior. They may also show symptoms of psychosis, such as paranoia, visual and auditory hallucinations, and delusions. Chronic methamphetamine use is accompanied by chemical and molecular changes in the brain. Imaging studies have shown changes in the activity of the dopamine system that are associated with reduced motor skills and impaired verbal learning. In studies of chronic methamphetamine users, severe structural and functional changes have been found in areas of the brain associated with emotion and memory, which may account for many of the emotional and cognitive problems observed in these
Dr. M. Okulate
Biology 112 Honors
04 April 2014
Drug Addiction and the Effects on the Brain
The prevalence of drug addiction in America has been an epidemic in the past fifty years because of the violence and tragedy of events where drug use was the catalyst. Cocaine, Methamphetamine, Ecstasy, Amphetamine, Heroin, LSD and many more abused drugs have destroyed many lives and families from constant abuse of the substances that emasculate the body with every dose. Even though the United States of America have illegalized most of fatal drugs, addicts constantly use these drugs and numerous cause of deaths are by users overdosing on a particular drug. Addiction is a chronic, often relapsing brain disease that causes compulsive …show more content…
It takes the form of a white, odorless, bitter-tasting crystalline powder. Methamphetamine is taken orally, smoked, snorted, or dissolved in water or alcohol and injected. Smoking or injecting the drug delivers it very quickly to the brain, where it produces an immediate, intense euphoria. The pleasure also fades quickly; users often take repeated doses, in a “binge and crash” pattern. Meth negatively affects the brain similar to cocaine by increasing the amount of the neurotransmitter dopamine, leading to high levels of that chemical in the brain. Dopamine is involved in reward, motivation, the experience of pleasure, and motor function. Methamphetamine has the ability to release dopamine rapidly in reward regions of the brain produces the euphoric “rush” or “flash” that many users experience. People who use methamphetamine long-term may experience anxiety, confusion, insomnia, and mood disturbances and display violent behavior. They may also show symptoms of psychosis, such as paranoia, visual and auditory hallucinations, and delusions. Chronic methamphetamine use is accompanied by chemical and molecular changes in the brain. Imaging studies have shown changes in the activity of the dopamine system that are associated with reduced motor skills and impaired verbal learning. In studies of chronic methamphetamine users, severe structural and functional changes have been found in areas of the brain associated with emotion and memory, which may account for many of the emotional and cognitive problems observed in these