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Article: Psychoactive Drugs
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- Biology
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CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 The Gale Group Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Psychoactive Drugs
Psychoactive drugs are a class of chemical substances that act on the
central nervous system
and can alter behavior and
cognition
. All psychoactive drugs are highly fat-soluble and thus cross the blood-brain barrier readily. Psychoactive drugs alter
synaptic transmission
by altering neuro-transmitter amounts and availability or by affecting receptor activity. In addition to the drug's primary effects on behaviors such as arousal, thought processes, mood, perception, and consciousness, psychoactive drugs can produce a variety of nonbehavioral effects that may more directly affect health and, in some instances, can lead to death.
Although there are several ...