Impairment on Specific Brain Functioning

Imagine one day getting pulled over by a policeman. He asks you to step out of the car and perform certain field sobriety tests like walking in a straight line or pointing to a certain location on your body. Now imagine not being able to suddenly perform this type of normal everyday body function. You think to yourself, “What’s going on, I haven’t been drinking so why won’t my legs work”!? Do you know how your brain tells your body to either make or not make those type of movements? Through this paper, I intend to show how certain body functions could be impaired by the use of drugs, the effects it causes on the tiny components in our brains called “neurons”, and explain how one of the basic principles of brain organization (Goldstein, 2011) is the reason for this type of cognitive functioning.

The tiny components I referred to earlier within our brains are called neurons. They are small cells which “fire” electrical signals and are the building blocks and transmission lines of the nervous system (Goldstein, 2011) These tiny cells work together to form a nerve net, which is a complex pathway for conducting signals uninterrupted through the network and to different parts of our brains. (Goldstein, 2011) Thus then when our brains receive these signals, they can then tell our bodies what to do, especially in terms of movement. It is through The Localization of Function, which states that specific functions are served by specific areas of the brain (Goldstein, 2011) that we can conclude that each part of our brain does something to help us function in everyday life. More specifically, structures like that of the cerebellum, also known as the “little brain” in Latin, is a medium sized structure located under the brain, attached to the brainstem. Its purpose is coordinating voluntary movements, maintaining muscle tone and regulating balance. (Freberg, 2006) When performing these functions, the cerebellum is assisted by the spinal cord, and cerebral cortex which send “messages” by way of the pons, a structure that is considered a bridge to form connections between the medulla and higher brain centers as well as with the cerebellum. (Freberg, 2006) The pathways of fibers located within the pons, are what carry these messages to other parts of the brain, thus carrying out major functions like that of muscle movements.

In a recent study, (which I chose to use as support due to a family member having this problem) scientists tested the effects of a chronic cocaine treatment on short- and long-lasting plasticity mechanisms in the cerebellum. By reducing or overexpressing signaling regulatory molecules, cocaine might be able to change conditions for synaptic change in the outputs from the cerebellum (Vazquez‐Sanroman, Leto, Cerezo‐Garcia, Carbo‐Gas, Sanchis‐Segura, Carulli, & Miquel, 2015). This study was conducted based on the growth of use of cocaine during the time period between the 1970’s and 1980’s. Male mice were housed in groups of five with 12 hours of a light cycle and a dark cycle. Experiments were performed in the mice’s own housing quarters and the tests were done during their light cycle. Cocaine hydrochloride, dissolved in 0.9 percent saline was intraperitoneal (IP) injected, while the other group was injected with just saline. Cocaine treatment protocol involved six alternant cocaine injections followed by a 1-week drug-free period, after which mice received a priming injection with a lower cocaine dose. After the injections, over a weeks’ worth of data was collected and analyzed.

The results of the study showed that the mice who were injected with cocaine, had decreased motor function and had loss of balance while being active in their home environments. Those mice who were injected with saline showed no difference in muscle function and voluntary movements. During the time of the 1 week drug free period, the mice exhibited withdrawal, meaning their locomotion had increased erratically, their muscles exhibited spasms and uncontrolled movements while the other group again showed no signs of difference. This then showed that cocaine had an effect on the impute and outputs of the cerebellum. Progressive usage of the drug will do more damage to this part of the brain over longer use.

Furthermore, the purpose of this paper was to elaborate on how our brain functions as well as showing the effects of cocaine on brain functioning. It can be concluded that not only do drugs have an effect on what happens within our brains, but also any other impairing substance or a brain injury. If the neuro pathways are disrupted, so is brain functioning, leading to either temporary or permanent cognitive impairment.

References:

Goldstein, B. (2011). Cognitive Neuroscience. In Cognitive Psychology: Connecting mind, research and everyday experience (3rd Ed.). Belmont: Wadsworth Cenage Learning.

Freberg, L. (2006). The Anatomy and Evolution of the Nervous System. In Discovering Biological Psychology (2nd Ed.). Belmont: Wadsworth Cenage Leaning.

Vazquez‐Sanroman, D., Leto, K., Cerezo‐Garcia, M., Carbo‐Gas, M., Sanchis‐Segura, C., Carulli, D. & Miquel, M. (2015). The Cerebellum on Cocaine: Plasticity and Metaplasticity. Addiction Biology, 20(5), 941-955. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/adb.12223

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