Students build upon their understanding of neurotransmission by
learning how different drugs of abuse disrupt communication
between neurons. Students then conduct an activity investigating
the effect of caffeine on their heart rate. Finally, students
analyze data on how the way a drug is taken into the body
influences its effect. Drugs affect the biology and chemistry of
the brain. By the end of these activities, the students will
Drugs of abuse are valuable tools for investigations of brain
function because they can mimic or block actions of
neurotransmitters, and thus exert effects on homeostasis and
behavior. How do drugs cause their effects on the brain and
behavior? Lesson 1 introduced students to the idea that a
specific brain region, the reward system (part of the limbic
system), regulates feelings of pleasure and that this region is
activated by drugs of abuse. But what do drugs actually do in
that brain region? Drugs interfere with neurotransmission. More
specifically, drugs of abuse produce feelings