Well Written Essay On Cocaine — страница 2

levels of adrenaline, it sends messages to the medulla to increase heart rate. The medulla relays the message to the pituitary gland for production of adrenaline, but due to the high levels of dopamine, the message for an increase in a hormone produced by dopamine called prolactin is read as well. Prolactin and adrenaline are produced in the adrenal glands. As the hormones enter the heart, they increase heart rate to abnormal highs. The heart will become exhausted by the abnormal overuse. Incoming messages to the brain are slow and clouded, so the medulla continues to send messages for increased heart rate until a heart failure occurs. Strokes and convulsions occur mainly due to dopamine flowing into the wrong receptor sites. This rush is too much and malfunctions start to occur

in the motor cortex, producing convulsions and in some cases, strokes and deaths. (Enc. Psychoactive Drugs)Surprisingly, the Limbic System, or that which produces emotion in the brain, is not affected by cocaine as was once believed. Recent studies indicate that the relaxed, euphoric feeling that is produced is achieved during a high is created by the clouded messages that occur due to high neurotransmitter activity in the brain. (Enc. Drug&Alch. Abuse)As cocaine is used, it affects many parts of the brain directly and indirectly. The highs produced by cocaine are actually irregular levels of brain-made neurotransmitters caused by cocaine, not cocaine itself. The addiction is a strong physiological dependence brought about by low levels of seretonin in the brain. The abuse of

cocaine is wide-spread and is expensive financially as well as physically After all of the facts presented, the question that remains to be answered about cocaine abuse is not how, but why.