The article I read about was on a drug called Scopolamine. Carlos Moreno and Alfredo Ardila provide insightful information about this drug in their article Scopolamine Intoxication as a Model of Transient Global Amnesia. This particular drug’s roots are from Colombia and is extracted from the plants of Datura or Brugmansia Genus. Scopolamine became such a phenomenon giving it the name of global amnesia. While this drug may give the certain individual amnesia, it does not alter the consumers personal identity and they can still perform daily activities. Certain effects that can result from intoxication can be fatigue, emotional distress, pain, anxiety and others. These effects have been known for many years and although these plants are native to South America, it has been cultivated around the world. …show more content…
Scopolamine has been mixed with tranquilizers like benzodiazepines and phenothiazines. It is an anticholinergic drug meaning it blocks the neurotransmitter acetylcholine in the central and peripheral of the nervous system. It can easily cross the blood-brain barrier which allows for its easy access to the nervous system. Once the Scopolamine has been injected it quickly is absorbed in the digestive truck but is quickly excreted through urine in 12 hours. Since the body quickly gets rid of Scopolamine, it is really hard to get positive toxicologic analyses. By the time someone has realized that they have been intoxicated and have gone to the hospital, the analyses would be
Adderall is a combination of amphetamine and dextroamphetamine, which work on the central nervous system as stimulants. A stimulant is a drug that produces a temporary increase of function activity by affecting the chemicals in the brain. There are 4 salts the combine to for the active ingredients, dextroamphetamine saccharate, dextroamphetamine sulfate, amphetamine aspartate monohydrate, and amphetamine. Inactive ingredients are also present, but they do not play a role in Adderall’s function.
Psychological effects include distinct changes in body awareness, similar to those associated with alcohol. (www.nida.com)
Abstract: The human brain is the most complex organ in the body. Its functions control every aspect of life. It is important to attempt to comprehend the workings of the brain and to learn the effects of natural and unnatural substances on it. In order to look at chemical effects on the brain, one must first get an understanding for the chemicals as well as how the brain works to interpret and react to signals set out by these chemicals, rhythmically and physiologically. Several chemicals observed include: cocaine (and other chemicals), seratonin, and melatonin.
One cause is benzodiazepine drugs, which are known to have powerful amnesic affects. This has also been recorded in non-benzodiazepine sedatives which act on the same set of receptors. Another cause is a traumatic brain injury in which damage is usually done to the hippocampus or surrounding cortices. It can also be caused by shock from psychological trauma or an emotional disorder. Illness, though much rarer, can also cause anterograde amnesia such as encephalitis, which is the inflammation of brain tissues do to some foreign pathogen. Lucy is diagnosed as having Goldfield’s Syndrome, which is the exact same thing as anterograde amnesia. She shows signs of short-term memory loss, her brain stores the new memories of the day has she lived however, after falling asleep she is unable to access these
People have been using mood and personality effecting drugs for centuries, from coffee, to marijuana, to cocaine, including alcohol. We know these things change our brains in some way. Though some intellectuals such as Malcom Gladwell have expressed points of view that, "The modern personality is, in this sense, a synthetic creation,"(252) not many seem particularly alarmed by this idea in the above quote that Malcom Gladwell calls a "disquieting notion,"(252) beyond a few offhand jokes about their reliance. This is especially true with coffee and tea (anything with a reasonable amount of caffeine). However the public perception of other drugs, such as alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine, does vary a bit. It is useful to note that most people
Amnesia, a severe long-term memory loss disease, is caused by damaged brain tissue. There are two different types of amnesia. Retrograde amnesia is also known as backward moving. This is when you have a hard time remembering the past, especially episodic memories. This occurs because of memory consolidation. Memory consolidation is the process of a new memory setting until it becomes permanently in the brain. If this process is disrupted, the memory may be lost (Hockenberry and Hockenberry page 265). Anterograde amnesia is also known as forward moving. This is when you are unable to form new
Anterograde Amnesia (AA) is commonly known as short term memory loss. It is the inability to form any new memories after a neurological or psychological trauma in the brain. “Current definitions of anterograde amnesia emphasize the presence of severe and permanent deficits for the recall of recent events (typically with poor recognition) that contrast with intact short-term memory, IQ, semantic memory, skill learning, simple classical conditioning, perceptual learning, and priming” (Aggleton, 2008, p. 1442). Also, according to Aggleton, AA causes the inability to recall autobiographical events (episodic memory). Research shows that damage to the diencephalon or frontal lobe can cause AA. Damage to the diencephalon impairs memory performance because it encodes new experiences for future recall and damage to the frontal lobe of the brain weaken memory performance because the it is involved in regulates access explicit memory (Mendev 2007). Duff, Wszalek, Tranel & Cohen (2008) stated...
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse marijuana causes the user to feel euphoric by acting on the brain’s reward system. The euphoria is caused by the release of dopamine it to the user system. Other effects can include heightened sensory perception (e.g., brighter colors), laughter, altered perception of time, and increased appetite. Marijuana also inhibits the formation of new memories and causes coordination and balance to be degraded. These reactions are caused by binding the receptors in the cerebellum and base ganglia. The effect is similar to the impairments that are normally associated with consuming alcohol. Habitual users can also develop acute psychosis, a fundamental derangement of the mind (as in schizophrenia) characterized by defective or lost contact with reality especially as evidenced by delusions, hallucinations, and disorganized speech and behavior (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). The IQ level of a marijuana users also decreases over time according to a Duke University study conducted by clinical psychologist Madeline Meier “people who bega...
Drug abuse has been around for many years, since the early 1800’s and has increasingly gotten worse. The dependency of heroin and opiates has succeeded in breaking down barriers in color and classes, you could say it is a habit of equal opportunity with whoever wants to try it. Methadone has been used to treat heroin abuse for many years, but is now used to treat opiate dependency also. Although it has been found to be very addictive, the doctors claim it is the most successful in helping some addicts lead functional lives. It seems strange that a drug that is addictive is given to take the place of another addictive drug. You might ask yourself, why should I care if a better treatment is found to replace methadone if it doesn’t affect
Alcohol: The drug name is ethyl alcohol, used in beer, to liquor and wine. This is only swallowed. It mainly causes mild stimulation, lowered inhibitions, drowsiness, emotional volatility, impaired memory, loss of consciousness, euphoria and etc.. This drug also leads to many other health risks. Example, liver and heart disease, depression, neurologic deficits and addiction.
Marijuana has many bad side effects that harm the body. According to Szara Braude, marijuana slows down reactions causing problems with memory and learning, distorted perception, difficulty in thinking, and loss of coordination (Marijuana as a medicine 53). Many people use this drug not knowing wh...
b) If you someone has used this drug on you, you could just look like a very intoxicated or drunk person. This drug can also make you
the drug is a stimulant which speeds up the messages from the body to the brain. After the body gets rid of the drug,
Controversies over drugs and the effects they have physically, mentally, and emotionally have been around for centuries. Some argue the fact that smoking marijuana has no health effects on the body. Some also say that other drugs have no long term mental consequences to suffer. Now, thanks to technology and hours of studies, answers have came to show the true long term health effects of drugs on the human body and mind.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs 43.2(2011):128-135. Web. 6 Sept. 2011. Shepard, Edward M., and Paul R. Blackley.