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How do drugs affect the brain?
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Opioids are painkillers

Opioids activate opioid receptors in the brain, which reduces the neuronal signals for pain.
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The Argument

The category of opioids includes both opiates, which are psychoactive drugs derived from opium, and a range of synthetic and non-synthetic drugs with pain-relieving effects. Many pharmaceutical opioids were developed as alternatives to morphine, a highly addictive pain medication with many potential adverse effects. Opioids including morphine are effective as painkillers because they can activate mu and delta opioid receptors, which when activated can block pain signals sent through the nervous system to the brain. Opioid receptors are abundant in areas of the brain where responses to psychoactive substances occur, including the dopamine reward pathway. Consequently, opioid use is both psychologically and biochemically addictive and can have a wide range of long-term effects on mental function, such changes to learning, reward, and stress responses.

Counter arguments

Premises

[P1] Opioids work to block pain signals sent to the brain.

Rejecting the premises

References

This page was last edited on Thursday, 5 Mar 2020 at 16:57 UTC

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