Cigarettes And Their Destruction Of The Brain

Title	Cigarettes And Their Destruction Of The Brain
# of Words	617
# of Pages (250 words per page double spaced)	2.47

Cigarettes and Their Destruction of the Brain

Cigarettes and Their Destruction of the Brain

     Smokers generally feel more comfortable after that especially important
first cigarette of the day.  Within just a few seconds of "lighting up," smoking
activates mind-altering changes.  Smokers are well aware of the long-term risks
of their habit:  such as lung cancer, heart disease, emphysema, and other deadly
illnesses.  However, smokers are attracted by the immediate effects of smoking:
"a stimulant that makes them seem to feel more alert, clearheaded and able to
focus on work."  Smoking however, does not really have these effects; what the
smoker perceives is an illusion.  Nicotine begins to act on brain cells within
ten seconds of inhalation, fitting into "keyholes" on the surface of the brain;
the same "keyholes" as acetylcholine(an important neurotransmitter), and
mimicking epinephrine and norepinephrine, giving the smoker a rush, or
stimulation.  Within 30 minutes, smokers feel their energy begin to decline, as
the ingested nicotine is reduced.  This process continues, as the smoker's
attention becomes increasingly focused on cigarettes.  Nicotine causes smokers'
brain cells to grow more nicotinic receptors than normal; therefore, the brain
may function normally despite the irregular amount of acetylcholine-like
chemical acting upon it.  The brain is reshaped:  the smoker feels normal with
nicotine in his system, and abnormal without it.  A series of tests were
conducted on nonsmokers, "active" smokers, and "deprived" smokers.  The "active"
smokers were given a cigarette before each test, while the "deprived" smokers
were not allowed cigarettes before tests.
     The tests started simply, and then moved towards more complex problems.
In the first test, subjects sat in front of a computer screen and pressed the
space bar when a target letter, among 96, was recognized:  smokers, deprived
smokers, and nonsmokers, performed equally well.  The next test involved
scanning sequences of 20 identical letters and as one of the letters was
transformed into a different one, responding with the space bar...

This is ONLY a preview of the article. If you would like to view the entire document, you must subscribe to Academic Library. Please register below now!

Subscribe to Academic Library

When you subscribe to the Academic Library, you get 24-hour access to the online database containing full-text articles written by thousands of scholarly students. For only $8.95 per month, you receive unlimited monthly access to view and download all of our 40,000 articles available online. That is less than the price of one textbook!
This price includes:

24-hours-a-day, 7 days a week unlimited access on any computer with Internet access

Complete access to all 40,000 articles, essays, and research papers

Ability to view and download virtually unlimited number of documents

Ability to browse through perfectly arranged catalog of articles

Superior search and relevancy ranking techniques using Google SiteSearch and our local search engine

Instant access to the online database after registration

You can pay by credit card, checking account. You get instant access after registration:

You will be billed $ 8.95 every 30 days (recurring billing) starting on the day you subscribe.
Your credit card will automatically be renewed for your convenience until you cancel.

If you are already registered, please click here to login.


	Home \| Register \| Login \| FAQ \| Forgot Password \| Privacy Policy \| Disclaimer \| Close Account \| Contact Us \| Logout Copyright 1998-2007 Academic Library. Academic Library is designed only to assist students and researchers in the preparation of their own work. Anybody who use our services are responsible not only for writing their own papers, but also for citing Academic Library as a source when doing so. By accessing and using this page you agree to the Disclaimer. If you wish to cancel your subscription to Academic Library, please click here.