Remember, your brain grows until what age ____???

Also, the amygdala is _______________which makes your brain more sensitive to new, exciting, dangerous experiences

Habit formation peaks now!

Your Brain is STILL GROWING You have COMPLETE

control over your decisions

Alcohol and Drugs do impact:› your brain growth› Memory› Learning› Judgment› Your life!

Drugs affect 3 main areas of the brain:› 1. Brain stem (medulla oblongata)

in charge of “4 B’s”: breathing, heart beat, body temp and blood pressure

› 2. Limbic system (amygdala is in here) Links together brain structures that control

emotions like pleasure and pain› 3. Prefrontal cortex

Decision making center

Brain is very complex with billions of neurons that control all we feel, think & do.

Drugs are chemicals and work by interfering with the way the brain and neurotransmitters work › What we saw on the last slide

Some drugs can change the brain temporarily, others change it permanently› Marijuana and heroin activate neurons because they Marijuana and heroin activate neurons because they

mimic neurotransmitters and send abnormal mimic neurotransmitters and send abnormal messages to brainmessages to brain

› Amphetamines and cocaine cause neurons to release Amphetamines and cocaine cause neurons to release excessive amounts of natural neurotransmitters or excessive amounts of natural neurotransmitters or prevent transporters from recycling; causing prevent transporters from recycling; causing exaggerated messages in the brainexaggerated messages in the brain

AllAll drugs “hijack” the limbic system, causing unusually large amounts of neurotransmitters to flood the brain this is the “High” This is why drugs “feel good” to those that use

Neurotransmitters that drugs hijack:Neurotransmitters that drugs hijack:1.1. EndorphinsEndorphins: the feel good, warm fuzzy one: the feel good, warm fuzzy one2.2. DopamineDopamine: pleasure, positive, motivation: pleasure, positive, motivation3.3. TheobromineTheobromine: stimulant, energy: stimulant, energy4.4. AnandimideAnandimide: cannabinoid, hallucinogenic: cannabinoid, hallucinogenic5.5. Phenylthylamine: Phenylthylamine: “love drug”“love drug”

1. Tolerance 2. Physical Brain Changes 3. Addiction

What’s so wrong with getting high?

1. TOLERANCE (know this term)› Over time, you need more and more of the

drug to achieve the same high› Drugs then become necessary for the person

to feel “normal”

2. Drug users have physical changes in their brain that are critical to judgment, decision-making, learning, memory, and behavior

Marijuana UseBefore After

3. Addiction is a brain disease where one has: › Uncontrollable› drug craving, seeking, & use › that continues despite negative

consequences

Because your brain is still growing, addiction can happen fast

Addiction usually begins in the teen years

Drugs disturb a person’s normal Drugs disturb a person’s normal hierarchy of needs and desires hierarchy of needs and desires

Drugs will substitutes some basic Drugs will substitutes some basic needsneeds

It depends:It depends:› How long did they use?How long did they use?› What drug and how much of it?What drug and how much of it?› Brain is a vital organ so repair and recovery of the Brain is a vital organ so repair and recovery of the

addicted brain depends on targeted and effective addicted brain depends on targeted and effective treatments that must address the complexity of the treatments that must address the complexity of the disease. disease.

› Research continues to gain new insights into ways to Research continues to gain new insights into ways to optimize treatments to counteract addiction's powerful optimize treatments to counteract addiction's powerful disruptive effects on brain and behaviordisruptive effects on brain and behavior

What works best: prolonged abstinence, our brains can recover some of their former functioning, enabling people to regain control of their lives.

However, However, relapsingrelapsing to drug abuse is not only possible but to drug abuse is not only possible but likelylikely

Drug Identification Test http://

www.bbc.co.uk/suffolk/content/image_galleries/drug_awareness_2007_gallery.shtml

National Institute of Health (NIH) (2010). Addiction. http://science.education.nih.gov/supplements/nih2/Addiction/guide/essence.htm

National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) (2010). Drug Abuse and Addiction. http://drugabuse.gov/scienceofaddiction/addiction.html

Markowski, M. (2010). Education in Human Development and Family Science at Penn State University and Texas Women’s University.

1. Neurons in the brain communicate with each other by:

› A. passing axons› B. releasing chemicals› C. instant messaging

2. When do you something you enjoy, you ________ system is activated

› A. limbic› B. digestive› C. nervous

3. When someone uses drugs repeatedly, their brain ________________› A. becomes trained to crave the drug› B. Becomes smaller than before› C. is not changed

4. After a prolonged period of drug abuse, the brain _______________› A. needs less drug to get the same effect› B. needs more drug to get the same effect› C. experiences increasing amounts of dopamine

5. The brain’s reward system is part of the ____________› A. sensory cortex› B. limbic system› C. spinal cord

6. Brain cells or neurons turn electrical impulses into ___________-› A. chemical signals› B. movement› C. axons

7. Drugs work in the brain because they have similar _____________› A. electrical charges as brain cells› B. size and shape as natural brain chemicals

8. Drugs of abuse create intense feelings because they __________-.› A. depress the nervous system› B. cause a rise in dopamine in the limbic system

9. drug abusers develop “tolerance” for drugs, meaning they need ______________› A. more drug to get same effect› B. less drug to get same effect