Neurotransmitter + recreational drugs

• Neurotransmitters - are chemical messages that act between the neurons in the brain - send or inhibit messages being sent
• Noradrenaline - emotional mood control + sleeping
• Dopamine - emotional + cognitive functioning, reinforcement in learning
• Serotonin - mood control in limbic system, hunger and pain
• Acetylcholine— stimulated muscle contractions, memory + cognitive functions
• Recreational drugs - psychoactive drugs that alter brain function, taken for personal enjoyment
• Reward pathway - activated created experiences of pleasure

  behaviour + nice feeling = continued / repeated behaviour
• Drugs change the way neurotransmitters work on dopamine system

  heroin increases dopamine in reward pathway = feeling of euphoria

  cause the brian to produce less dopamine, when drug weres off it can‘t function normally = feeling of dysphoria

  repeated use of drug to avoid negative experiences = addiction
• Alcohol - depressant effect on nerve system by increasing action of GABA = slurred speech, poor muscle control, slower reaction time
• Nicotine - increase transmission of dopamine by blocking enzyme that breaks it down - mimic acetylcholine

  decrease perception of pain + stress
• Cocaine - floods synapse with dopamine + blocks reuptake

  = euphoria
• Serotonin - relaxed

  decreased levels = lower levels of self control = impulsive behaviour ( hypofunction)

  dopamine - energy boost

  increased levels = increase impulsivity and aggression

  ( hyperfunction )

  combination of both = more aggression and impulive
• Evaluation

  Strength : olds and miner - pleasure centre in rats - pressed lever to receive tiny jolts of current - main chemical in neuron signaling was dopamine

  counterpoint = human brains aren’t the same as rats = can’t be generalised, ethically wrong to test on rats

  strength - effects of drugs can be used to help forms of treatment for addiction