The Brain and Drugs
Seth Eisenberg, MD, is a well-versed psychiatrist and behavioral consultant who diagnoses and treats patients at Recovery Rebooted LLC. He founded Recovery Rebooted LLC, in 2011. Dr. Eisenberg says that Recovery Rebooted LLC is “an Internet Recovery Management Program designed to support client driven efforts toward long... more
Drugs interfere with the way neurons send, receive, and process signals through neurotransmitters. Certain drugs, such as marijuana and heroin, can activate neurons because their chemical structure mimics that of a natural neurotransmitter in the body. This allows the drugs to attach to and activate the neurons. Even though these drugs mimic the brain’s own chemicals, they don’t activate neurons in the same way as a natural neurotransmitter, and they lead to abnormal messages being sent through the network. Brain areas affected by drug use include the basal ganglia, the extended amygdala, the prefrontal cortex, and the brain stem.
Some drugs, such as amphetamine or cocaine, can cause the neurons to release abnormally large amounts of natural neurotransmitters or prevent the normal recycling of these brain chemicals by interfering with transporters. This can amplify or disrupt the normal communication between neurons. Opioids may disrupt other parts of the brain, such as the brain stem, which controls basic functions critical to life, including heart rate, breathing, and sleeping.
