Rcreational Drugs

Recreational drugs can also act as agonists or antagonists Recreational drugs affect neurotransmission at synapses in the brain altering an individual’s mood, cognition, perception and behaviour Many recreational drugs affect neurotransmission in the reward pathway of the brain

Drug addiction is caused by repeated use of drugs that act as antagonists Antagonist block specific receptors causing the nervous system to increase high number and sensitivity of these receptors This sensitisation leads to addiction where the individual craves more of the drug

Drug tolerance is caused by repeated use of drugs that act as agonists Agonists stimulate specific receptors causing the nervous system to decrease birth number and sensitivity of these receptors This desensitisation leads to drug tolerance where the individual must take more of the drug to get an effect