Psychomotor Stimulants and Cell Functioning

How Amphetamines may interfere with the Normal Cell Functioning

Amphetamine is a drug that is responsible for stimulating the central nervous system. When taken in to the body system, it boosts ones energy and alertness. However, it’s known to decrease ones appetite and fatigue. People who have had laxity in movement tend to abuse the drug thus, grouping amphetamine among the psychomotor stimulants. The regular users of the drug are normally adversely affected by its effects since it’s both mentally and physically addictive.

Amphetamines have adverse consequences since they can interfere with the normal working of the body cells. Daily administration of amphetamines causes an enhanced sensitization to many behavioral effects of the drugs.

When treatment using the amphetamine is administered, or a person uses the drug, a blockage of the long-term synaptic depression on the dopamine neurons is likely to occur. In fact, it can bring about an entire blockage of the Long-Term Depression (LTD) synapses. The amphetamine administration and/or abuse suppress LTD via a D2 dopamine receptor-mediated mechanism (Stuss, Leeds, Wills, & Rauch, 2002, p. 112).

Amphetamine can, therefore, block and reverse the dopamine transporter thus elevating extracellular dopamine. This activates the D2 receptors and, therefore, leads to a depression voltage-dependent Ca2⁺ current (Stuss, Leeds, Wills, & Rauch, 2002, p. 119). When the entry of Ca²⁺ is inhibited, a reduction to levels below the threshold required to trigger the LTD response may result.

Amphetamine intake also promotes excitation of Ventral Tegmental Area (VTA) dopamine neurons. At the VTA, amphetamine excitation brings about abnormality in the way cells function. The abnormal excitement is brought about by glutamatergic afferents (University of Colorado, 2007). A rapid effect of psycho stimulants is hyper polarization of the dopamine neurons through the auto receptors. The effects of psycho stimulants lead to the desensitization in the presence of amphetamine thereby removing a source of inhibition.

Therefore, administration of amphetamine has adverse effects on the normal functioning of the body cells especially when abused. Its effects bring about loss of appetite and euphoria. Increased energy in the body is brought about by the psychomotor stimulant, which interferes with the normal cell function thus producing more energy than normal.

References

Stuss, D. T., Leeds, R. J., Wills, H., & Rauch, K. E. (2002). Principles of Frontal Lobe Function.

Oxford: Oxford University Press.

University of Colorado. (2007, September 28). Neuroanatomy and Physiology of the “Brain

Reward System”. Retrieved February 19, 2013, from University of Colorado Web site: http://ibgwww.colorado.edu/cadd/a_drug/essays/essay4.htm