Addiction
How Drugs Work In The Brain Part 2
Brain Regions And Neuronal Pathways
Certain parts of the brain govern specific functions. Such as the sensory, motor and visual cortex.
The cerebellum controls coordination and the hippocampus controls memory.
Nerve cells or neurons connect one area to another via pathways to send and integrate information. The distances that neurons extend can be short or long.
For example the reward pathway. This pathway is activated when a person receives positive reinforcement for certain behaviors (reward). This happens when a person takes an addictive drug.
As another example, the thalamus, this structure receives information about pain coming from the body, and passes the information up to the cortex.
Pathway For Sensation Of Pain And Reaction To Pain
This is a long pathway, in which neurons make connections in both the brain and the spinal cord.
Sensation Of Pain And Reaction To Pain
What happens when one slams a door on one's finger? First, nerve endings in the finger sense the injury to the finger (sensory neurons) and they send impulses along axons to the spinal cord.
The incoming axons form a synapse with neurons that project up to the brain.
The neurons that travel up the spinal cord then form synapses with neurons in the thalamus, which is a part of the midbrain (magenta circle).
The thalamus organizes this information and sends it to the sensory cortex (blue), which interprets the information as pain and directs the nearby motor cortex (orange) to send information back to the thalamus (green pathway).
Again, the thalamus organizes this incoming information and sends signals down the spinal cord, which direct motor neurons to the finger and other parts of the body to react to the pain.
Next Page
Books Buzzed:
The Straight Facts About
the Most Used and Abused Drugs
from Alcohol to Ecstasy
An account of various drugs and their effects on the body, brain, and emotions. Also includes info about the addictive potential of the drugs discussed.
Includes alcohol, caffeine, ecstasy, hallucinogens, herbal drugs, inhalants, marijuana, nicotine, opiates, sedatives, steroids, stimulants, etc.
Buzzed From Chocolate to Morphine:
Everything You Need to Know
About Mind-Altering Drugs
A well written book about the history of drugs and drug use with black and white illustrations throughout. About 3/4 of the book deals with the drugs themselves, the rest is a look at the relationship between people and drugs.
In a way that neither condemns nor condones drug use, the authors describe the likely effects of each drug and discuss precautions and alternatives, allowing readers to make informed and intelligent choices.
Covers a wide range of substances like stimulants, depressants, hallucinogens, marijuana, solvents, PCP, ketamine, smart drugs, medical drugs, and more.
From Chocolate to Morphine Illegal Drugs:
A Complete Guide to Their
History, Chemistry, Use and Abuse
Very good book about the history, sociology, legal and medical aspects of illegal (and some legal) drugs. Looks at all the popular illegal drugs like marijuana, cocaine, heroin, etc. Also investigates legal drugs like caffeine, alcohol and tobacco. And covers more obscure drugs like betel nuts and kava kava.
At about 500 (easy to understand) pages, the book contains a lot of text that might overwhelm the casual reader looking for basic info. This is more for someone with a serious interest in the subject or someone doing research.
Illegal Drugs
More Addiction Books Addiction books from Amazon
Addiction Related More Addiction Articles Various Addiction Links