The Psychological Effects and Developmental Effects of Drug Abuse on the BrainEssay title: The Psychological Effects and Developmental Effects of Drug Abuse on the BrainDrug abuse can take its toll on the body, but more importantly on the mind. Why do drugs act on the brain the way they do? And why do some drugs have different effects than others? These and other questions will be answered throughout this paper. Every day scientists are finding new information on the brain and how it reacts to the main drugs of abuse.
The Brain; four pounds and several thousand miles of unified nerve cells that control every thought, emotion, sensation and movement. Within the brain and spinal cord there are ten thousand distinct varieties of neurons, billions of supportive cells, and a few more trillion synaptic connections, a hundred chemical regulation agents, miles of minuscule blood vessels, axons ranging from a few microns to well over a foot and a half in length. Even with all these pieces of the brain, the place that is affected the most from drug abuse is the frontal lobe.
The frontal lobe is an area in the brain of vertebrates located at the front of each cerebral hemisphere. Frontal lobes are positioned in front of the parietal lobes. Frontal lobes have been found to play a part in impulse control, judgment, language, memory, motor function, problem solving, sexual behavior, socialization and spontaneity. Frontal lobes also assist in planning, coordinating, controlling and executing behavior. Cognitive maturity associated with adulthood is marked by related maturation of cerebral fibers in the frontal lobes between late teenager years and early adult years. This is why drug abuse by teens in these developing years can seriously hinder the maturation of the frontal lobe. The reason that drug abuse affects this particular part of the brain is because this is where the dopamine is stored and where the “reward system” is.
Dopamine is critical to the way the brain controls our movements. Shortage of dopamine may cause Parkinsons disease, in which a person loses the ability to execute smooth, controlled movements. It also controls the flow of information from other areas of the brain. But, in relation to the pleasure system, it provides feelings of enjoyment and reinforcement to motivate us to do, or continue doing, certain activities. Dopamine is released by naturally-rewarding experiences such as food, sex, use of certain drugs and neutral stimuli that become associated with them.
Certain drugs, however, produce different effects on the dopamine process. Cocaine, for example, acts as a dopamine transporter blocker, competitively inhibiting dopamine uptake to increase the lifetime of dopamine. On the other hand, most amphetamines act as dopamine transporter substrates to competitively inhibit dopamine uptake and increase the dopamine efflux using a dopamine transporter. However, some scientists are breaking new ground by proposing the theory that drug addiction might not have everything to do with the “reward” system of dopamine.
“We now know that many of the drugs of abuse target not just those aspects of the brain that alter things like emotion, but also areas that affect our ability to control cognitive operations,” says Herb Weingartner of the Division of Neuroscience and Behavioral Research at the National Institute on Drug Abuse. These new studies could shed light into the reason why only some drug users become addicted and also why it’s so easy for drug users to relapse even when they have been sober for quite some time. “Science increasingly suggests that brain development is ongoing during adolescence and into the early twenties, and that drug experimentation during this time is more risky to the still-developing brain than previously believed,” McLellan said. “Very worrisome is the possibility that drug use during these neurologically formative years may inhibit the critical processes that nurture brain development to its conclusion.” But, like all things, different drugs have different effects on the brain.
Hallucinogenic drugs, for example, present some of the most complicated and interesting effects on the brain. A user of hallucinogenic drugs will experience a number of psychological alterations in the brain. These drugs may cause hallucinations and illusions as well as the amplification of sense, and the alterations of thinking and self-awareness. It is quite possible to have a bad reaction to hallucinogenic drugs. This is referred to as a “bad trip” and may cause panic, confusion, suspicion, anxiety, and loss of control. The long-term effects of these drugs can be quite dangerous. These long-term effects may include: flashbacks, mood swings, impaired thinking, unexpected outbursts of violence and eventually possibly depression that may lead to death or suicide. Many users of hallucinogenic drugs have experienced whole personality changes which raises questions about the relationship between brain and behavior. Scientists are curious as to how total alterations of the
h-type nervous system can influence our thoughts. These changes in the human brain have been used to develop new therapeutic options for treatment of insomnia, depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder and more, all of which are commonly experienced in patients with serious clinical illnesses.
Some of the effects of hallucinogenic drugs may be beneficial in treating psychological problems or in improving psychometric abilities. Some drugs may induce other psychological disturbances, perhaps resulting in a reduction in mood or a memory loss. It is also possible to modify human behavior, but these actions are relatively long-term and could take many years to fully take effect. Therefore, the number of people being treated for psychological problems in the U.S. is limited.
As with a common type of pharmaceutical, these drugs could have adverse effects on the human brain. A series of human studies has shown that hallucinogenoid drugs may cause changes in human brain and body chemistry. These changes include: increased levels of the H-type proteins in the basolateral amygdala, which is located in the orbitofrontal cortex, (POMC) cortex and/or the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and in the dorsal striatum. In a study by Sørensen, Kallberg and MĂĽnst, no association between psychoactive drugs (including hallucinogens) and mood or cognitive behavior changed in the cortex; whereas a dose-response investigation revealed a significant decrease in the levels of H2 or H3 types, suggesting the presence of a brain mechanism of action (hypoxia, depression and anxiety). Other studies show hallucinogen drugs enhance certain neural systems, including the reward circuits and brainstem structure, as well as affect specific brain regions, such as the prefrontal cortex. These effects may be transient, such as the release of chemicals referred to as “pills”, such as dopamine, (dopamine)-like receptors, and/or GABA (gamma-type) receptors. It is also possible that a hallucinogen may cause different neural processes, such as alterations in dopaminergic and dopaminergic release or enhancement of some neurons, such as the subfrontal cortex, to respond differently, which may explain some of the different effects.
Hallux-type drugs such as benzodiazepines, diazepam, lorazepam, phenylephrine, and the sedative tranquilizers amphetamines, for example, may cause a person to show impaired performance in spatial learning tasks after a week of treatment.
Hallucinogens
In addition to the hallucinogenic drug effects, hallucinogen drugs such as Hallucinogenic ZO2 may have anti-depressant effects. Although these drugs are commonly used to treat anxiety disorders, they have no proven safety in humans or in animals. Although most hallucinogen drugs are administered orally, human users might also feel sick while taking them. A number of studies suggest they may result in increased seizure control and increased activity in brain areas that are linked to the central nervous system and other functions. This could have adverse effects upon the heart, immune system, brain, and the rest of the body. A study published in 2011 by Nishiichi found that the risk of stroke for people who took Hallucinogenic ZO2 was three times higher in the group taking it at baseline than those who did not. Many psychophysiological studies have shown that Hallucinogens can increase cognition to some extent. Although there is always an individual difference in effects, the overall safety and benefits of a high dose of Hallucinogen may be very small. It is not