Moods drug uses

Three of the reasons for our restless experimentalism are clear. In the first place, normal consciousness is not always pleasant. In mental illness, the impulse to alter consciousness via drugs that reduce hallucinations or elevate mood is easy to understand and to accept. Short of that, many of us feel entitled to those holidays from conscientious consciousness that a martini, a glass of wine, or a can of beer affords. 

By now you have a sense of the interwoven roles of dopamine, norepinephrine, and acetylcholine in the control of movement, reward, mood, arousal, and learning and attention. By considering how various drugs manipulate these neurotransmitter systems within the brain, scientists have discovered some consistent patterns that allow us to make predictions about what to expect when specific types of drugs are taken. The same holds true for the neurotransmitter system mentioned several times in this chapter serotonin. What are the consequences of its manipulation in the brain Read on. 

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