The Effect Of Drugs On The Brain

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The brain is in charge of communicating within itself and running an individual’s entire body and how it functions physically, cognitively and emotionally. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (2014) explains how the parts of the brain communicate: To send a message, a brain cell (neuron) releases a chemical (neurotransmitter) into space (synapse) between it and the next cell. The neurotransmitter crosses the synapse and attaches proteins (receptors) on the receiving brain cell. This causes changes in the receiving cell – the message is delivered (para 3).
Drugs have been proven to alter the brain and how it functions and “can drive the compulsive drug abuse that marks addiction” (NIDA, 2014, para 2). Notably, drugs affect the brain’s

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