Medical
Currently, stimulants are used medically to treat certain types of asthma, the common cold, depression, obesity, and a wide variety of physical pain and ailments. Most commonly, stimulants such as Adderall, Ritalin, and Vyvanse are prescribed for both children and adults diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Recreational
Recreationally speaking, stimulants are used to change one’s state of mind and users report feeling a "rush" as the central nervous system is flooded with dopamine and epinephrine, and norepinephrine. This rush is caused by the sudden change in both the electrical and chemical activity in the brain. This alteration occurs when a stimulant is introduced, as it causes a manipulation in the natural energy chemicals which are forced out and released into the body when they are not needed. In terms of recreational use, it is common for the user to smoke, inject, snort, and ingest stimulants, all of which create different effects on the body. History
Certain types of stimulants are found in plants and grow naturally. The tobacco plant, the cocoa shrub, yohimbe, the betel nut, and the ephedra bush are just a few of the naturally occurring stimulants. Other forms of stimulants are man-made, with no naturally occurring plant base, and are instead created using synthetic chemicals. Often, this involves using prescription or over-the-counter pharmaceutical products as precursor materials.Stimulants were first introduced to the medical community with the isolation of cocaine from the coca leaf in 1855, which is not only a stimulant but also a topical anesthetic.
Dorsal radiculopathy which is secondary ascending degeneration of the posterior funiculus may also occur due to malignant cells collecting or a presence of tumor which cause compression of the nerve. Tumor cell proliferation is observed around nerve roots as well as loss of myelinated nerve fibers and axonal swelling. In areas of tumor cells, infiltration of macrophages is observed. Nerve root infiltration has shown positive correlation with meningeal dissemination. Infiltration of the spinal cord parenchyma is found with destruction of the pia mater. Tumor cell infiltration is associated with spongy changes in the white matter of the spinal cord beneath the pia mater with demyelination, axonal swelling, and macrophage infiltration. Transverse necrosis of the spinal cord is usually marked with bleeding from tumor growth in the subarachnoid space and is the result of compression by the hematoma in the subarachnoid space. From primary cancer to the meninges
NM is a secondary cancer meaning that it is the result of neoplastic cells that have metastasized from a primary cancer site. These cancers develop an enzyme that is able to break down blood vessels at a microscopic level. These cells enter the blood vessels and travel across the body. Once the brain is reached, they break down the blood–brain barrier to enter the Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF). There the cancerous cells seed and disseminate into the leptomeninges which are composed of the arachnoid and the pia.