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One form of behavioral neuropharmacology focuses on the study of drug dependence and how drug addiction affects the human mind. Most research has shown that the major part of the brain that reinforces addiction through neurochemical reward is the nucleus accumbens. The image to the right shows how dopamine is projected into this area.
How does the nicotine in e-cigarettes affect the brain? [6] Until about age 25, the brain is still growing. [6] Each time a new memory is created or a new skill is learned, stronger connections – or synapses – are built between brain cells. [6] Young people's brains build synapses faster than adult brains. [6]
Alcohol acts as a general central nervous system depressant, but it also affects some specific areas of the brain to a greater extent than others. Memory impairment caused by alcohol has been linked to the disruption of hippocampal function—particularly affecting gamma-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) neurotransmission which negatively impacts long-term potentiation ...
Psychoactive drugs operate by temporarily affecting a person's neurochemistry, which in turn causes changes in a person's mood, cognition, perception and behavior. There are many ways in which psychoactive drugs can affect the brain. Each drug has a specific action on one or more neurotransmitter or neuroreceptor in the brain.
One prevailing theory which aims to explain this sex difference identifies estrogen levels in the body as an important factor relating to caffeine's effect on memory performance [20] As a result, the female menstrual cycle (which influences overall estrogen levels in the body) may play a role in modifying the effect of caffeine on memory.
The effects of alcohol on the body's neurochemistry are more difficult to examine than some other drugs. This is because the chemical nature of the substance makes it easy to penetrate into the brain, and it also influences the phospholipid bilayer of neurons.
Neuroscientists believe that drug addicts’ behavior is a direct correlation to some physiological change in their brain, caused by using drugs. This view believes there is a bodily function in the brain causing the addiction. This is brought on by a change in the brain caused by brain damage or adaptation from chronic drug use. [1] [2]
A stimulant is an overarching term that covers many drugs including those that increase the activity of the central nervous system and the body, [1] drugs that are pleasurable and invigorating, or drugs that have sympathomimetic effects. [2] Sympathomimetic effects are those effects that mimic or copy the actions of the sympathetic nervous ...