Question

Explain the processes involved when drugs such as cocaine, marijuana, mescaline or alcohol enter the brain.

Answer 1

Answer:

Drugs affect how neurons send and receive signals

Explanation:

Different drugs have different abilities to induce responses in the brain, but all drugs basically alter the mode that neurons receive, process and send signals via neurotransmitters. Marijuana contains THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and other psychoactive substances that bind to cannabinoid receptors in the brain, causing different effects (e.g., increased heart rate, reversible depression, altered ability to perform complicated tasks, etc). Cocaine is a stimulant drug (i.e., a drug that accelerates the messages between the brain and the rest of the body), which has many side effects. This drug (cocaine) binds to dopamine receptors in order to stimulate rapid responses by increasing the level of dopamine pumped into the brain. Alcohol is a depressive drug that binds to opioid receptors in the brain called 'Mu receptors', which are required for controlling diverse emotions (e.g. pain, pleasure, and reward, etc). Finally, mescaline is a psychedelic drug that binds and stimulates dopamine and serotonin receptors, thereby causing hallucinogenic effects.