Transcript Stress Drugs - Making Neuroscience Fun

What is your nervous system?
YES!!!
In your brain there is a reward center.
Whenever you feel “happy” your reward
center is active.
Lots of thing activate your reward center.
Drugs activate your reward center.
Drugs make your brain really happy…..
BUT only when your brain is on drugs.
Normal Brain
Brain on Drugs
So you keep taking drugs….but something
happens.
Brain without Drugs
Brain on Drugs
Now the drugs aren’t making your brain
happy either.
Drugs change your brain so that normal things
do not make your brain happy anymore.
What is happening in your brain?
Neurons “talk” to each other using
chemicals called neurotransmitters.
Neurotransmitters send chemical messages.
Some drugs help your brain
chemicals to work better.
Some drugs have fun names,
but they are bad for your brain.
Bad drugs damage your brain just like
hitting it with a hammer.
Bad drugs stop neurotransmitters in your
brain from working.
X
X
X
Bad drugs work faster and longer than your
normal brain chemicals.
Your brain, which was normal and happy,
now has a disease.
Addicted
Normal
When the “switch” gets flips depends on ….
your brain chemistry….
your drug history….
and other factors.
Lots of drugs can give your brain the disease.
Your addicted brain is different.
Stress
Your addicted brain is under constant
stress – it CRAVES drugs.
How do drugs cause stress?
?
Stress
Drugs
Normally, your reward center can be
turned off.
Set Point
• Homeostasis
Detector
• Hunger
Correctional System
• Obtain Food
System Variable
No longer
hungry
Don’t get
any more
food
• Food
Negative Feedback
What is going on with drugs?
Set Point
• Homeostasis????
Negative Feedback
Detector
• “need” to relieve
stress
Correctional System
• Bad Choice
System Variable
• Drug
Stress
Positron Emission Tomography (PET)
helps us to see what drugs are doing
to the brain.
This is activity of a normal brain.
This is activity of a brain on cocaine.
Cocaine has long lasting effects.
Normal
Cocaine Abuser (10 da)
Cocaine Abuser (100 da)
Ecstasy not only changes the activity of
your brain, it destroys neurons.
Drugs not only hurt your brain, but they also
hurt your body.
NO!!!
Normal
Addicted
Stress
Lots of other things can make you happy and
relieve stress.
http://teens.drugabuse.gov
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/introb.html
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/addiction/drugs/mouse.html