Ever since i can remember I have been fascinated with the way the CNS works together to make us react to different environments, situations, and even emotions in our life. As a was reading, i can across the subject that i have been very found of, the destruction of neurons. How can the body have have billions and billions of cells and that have the potential to reproduce EXPECT the neurons, once they are gone they are gone forever. I recently made a friend, who had abused drugs such as cocaine, crack, and extasy all his teenage years. I was very intrigued to ask him if he was aware he has destroyed some of his neurons. When the time was right, he unshamely said he had, and had been through several overdoses. But before we go any further, we have to become familiar with the affect these drugs have an impact on out nervous system. You might be surprised to know that it is not just a psychological effect but also physiological.
Cocaine/ Crack- that drug teens kill to try and die in the attempt sometimes. that little white powder you line up and sniff up your nose, and wait minutes to feel is "alluring" affect. But this drug goes deep into the brain and can cause severe and even permanent damage. Behaviors such as mood, motivation, and motor function are target areas for cocaine. Cocaine doesn't just kill random brain cells either, it wipes out the brain cells in your brains pleasure center, brain cells that make you feel good and trigger positive emotions. Cocaine acts by preventing the dopamine from being recycled, causing excessive amounts of the neurotransmitter to build up, amplifying the message to and response of the receiving neuron, and ultimately disrupting normal communication.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OS2C4NemJI
Neurons are responsible for supplying the brain with important chemicals called neurotransmitters that pass electrical impulses through the body. One of the neurotransmitters affected by crack is called dopamine, an important chemical that controls feelings of pleasure and well-being. Crack abuse damages the brain’s ability to transfer dopamine. At first, crack users will feel intense feelings of pleasure and euphoria because the crack causes the brain to release all the dopamine at once. Over time, however, crack can actually damage the ability to transmit dopamine, which damages the ability to feel pleasure at all.
Ecstasy also known as the "club drug". Ecstasy works by prompting the brain to initiate this ‘fight or flight’ response and the user feels refreshed by a burst of energy. Ecstasy’s hallucinogenic properties distort the user’s experience of reality by triggering hallucinations of both sight and sound.
Although we are well aware that these drugs are out there, we have to take into consideration the affect they have in our CNS. Neurons depend on a healthy environment to function properly. I will not base my insight on drugs being the only reason neurons are destroyed, but millions of people struggle with drug addiction and billion and billions of neurons are being destroyed. :) s
Hey Besty,
ReplyDeleteI agree, many people take drugs for the pleasure of it and do not realize the real consequences of it. Not only can you become addicted, but you can damage one of the most important organ in your body, the brain! CNS is a system that is very specific and any minute changes can make a huge impact. I don't have that much knowledge on cocaine, but it was interesting to learn how it affects our system. A change in the amount of neurotransmitters being released and then being accumulated in one area for pleasure does not seem like a good reason to mess up the normal cycle of the system. This is a very insightful blog! This just reassured me that drugs just arent worth it.
Since the brain and the spinal cord are part of the CNS, a lot of the choices we make can affect the CNS positively or negatively. Drugs are a big NO NO for all reasons; addiction, brain damaging, response mechanisms, affecting one's life very negatively, law issues and even financial problems.
ReplyDeleteCan you believe that even too much stress kills brain cells?! I always knew that some sort of stress is good for everyone or in better words, it is healthy. But let's remember we do NOT want to get stressed more than what our body can take. I like how you mentioned that 'neurons depend on a healthy environment' because I agree with you in order for our brain and our whole body to work more properly we need to fill it with the nutrients that they need and maintain a healthy life style. Getting a concussion of course is not predictable, and nobody wants to go through something like that, but because of that we take certain precautions such as wearing a helmet when riding a motorcycle and so on. Our bodies and brain are ours for right now, so might as well take good care of them.
One last thing: Drugs are not worth it (like Michelle said)! :)
Interesting, if one wants to maintain most of the neurons alive then one must be straight-edge. You really do know a lot about drugs. I really enjoyed your video chosen, it describes a lot of the things that happens when you use drugs. Why would people want to do such things to their brains and bodies?
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