Recreational Drugs

• 1.Recreational drugs can act as agonists or antagonists (both)

  2. Recreational drugs affect neurotransmitters at synapses in the brain

  3. Recreational drugs alter an individuals mood /perception/ behaviour. (any two)

  4. Many recreational drugs affect neurotransmitters in the reward pathway of the brain.

  5. Drug addiction is caused by repeated use of drugs that act as antagonists.

  6. Antagonists block specific receptors causing the nervous system to increase both the number and sensitivity of these receptors
• 7. This sensitisation leads to addiction where individuals crave more drugs.

  8. Drug tolerance is caused by repeated use of agonists.

  9. Agonists stimulate specific receptors causing the nervous system to decrease both the number and sensitivity of these receptors

  10. This desensitisation leads to drug tolerance where the individual must take more drugs to get the effect