I don’t know who to ask and I don’t know if anyone will know but how does the chemicals in your brain affect you and

Question: I don't know who to ask and I don't know if anyone will know but how does the chemicals in your brain affect you and how do drugs put the dopamine transporters go into overdrive? Thank :)
- Keywords:
  brain,
  human,
  neuroscience
Asked by to Lewis, Jess, Ian, Divya, Clare on 12 Mar 2014. This question was also asked by .
- Jess Smith answered on 12 Mar 2014:
  
  Hi again 4science4, so as I said I’m definitely not an expert in this area, but hopefully the following will help:
  
  Your brain is made up of a really complicated network of neurons (these are special brain cells), and these talk to each other and pass on information using electrical signals and chemical signals. Because your brain is controlling the rest of your body (via the nervous system), if you change these chemicals, or the way in which they are transported between neurons, then it can have an effect on the rest of your body, how you feel, and your behaviour. The chemicals and the way that are transported vary naturally, and are also effected by what you eat and what you do. So eating healthily and doing exercise helps maintain a healthy brain as well as a healthy body. Sometimes your body will not be able to maintain a healthy balance no matter what you do, potentially causing mental health problems. Doctors can prescribe drugs to help restore healthy chemical levels.
  
  Dopamine occurs naturally in your brain. It is an important chemical that plays a number of roles. Disruptions to the way that it works can cause diseases and disorders like Parkinsons and ADHD. Dopamine is also an important part of the ‘rewards system’, this is an important system that evolution has designed to keep us as healthy as possible (e.g. you feel good after exercise, so you do it again, so you become healthier). Unfortunately some illegal drugs play on this. The drug tricks your brain in to wanting to seek out the drug again. It has done this by changing the way the dopamine is absorbed or increasing the levels of dopamine in your brain. The drug is bad for your body, and the desperation for the drug can ruin your whole life. It is important to note that the responses for your brain ‘liking’ something, and wanting to ‘seek’ something are different. So the drug can make you desperate to have it, but that isn’t the same as wanting it because you like it.
  
  I hope this helps a bit.
- Lewis Dean answered on 12 Mar 2014:
  
  This is not really my area of science either and Jess does seem to have given a really good answer, so I can’t really add much to her answer.
- Ian Hands-Portman answered on 12 Mar 2014:
  
  Rather than just hit Wikipedia I shall admit I have no idea and bow to Jess and her superior knowledge. Never be afraid to admit you don’t know!
- Divya Venkatesh answered on 13 Mar 2014:
  
  Yeah I think Jess has covered it pretty well. I’m just going to add this thing about parasites – there are those that can affect us by messing with the chemicals in the brain.
  
  I remember reading in the news, about this little one called toxo (toxoplasma gondii), which is a cat parasite. These are early studies but it’s been found out that they may affect behaviour even in humans – by increasing the amount of dopamine produced. In mice and rats it apparently causes them to lose their innate fear of cats! (This increases the chances of being caught and eaten, which allows it to return to its main host to complete its life cycle).
- Clare Nevin answered on 13 Mar 2014:
  
  I think Jess has given the best description here!