Does it increase the speed of the moeving of electrical impulses in our brain?!
2007-02-18 23:20:02 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Biology
Since nicotine is a stimulant it seems reasonable to assume some increase in the speed of electrical brain impulses. However, smoke also decreases the amount of oxygen in one's lungs which means less oxygen into the blood, which means less oxygen to the brain. Thus, the nicotine may stimulate but the smoke decreases brain function. Net result??
2007-02-18 23:31:13 · answer #1 · answered by Larry L 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Although it is a stimulant, I dont see how a chemical is going to make an electrical impulse work faster. I think what your asking is does it cause more impulses or synapses to fire at once...... Nicotine introduces chemicals which cause other chemical reactions in our brain, some of which are still unknown.
Tobacco, which comes primarily from the plant nicotiana tabacum, has been used for centuries. It can be smoked, chewed, or sniffed. The first description of addiction to tobacco is contained in a report from the New World in which Spanish soldiers said that they could not stop smoking.
When nicotine was isolated from tobacco leaves in 1828, scientists began studying its effects in the brain and body. This research eventually showed that, although tobacco contains thousands of chemicals, the main ingredient that acts in the brain and produces addiction is nicotine. More recent research has shown that the addiction produced by nicotine is extremely powerful and is at least as strong as addictions to other drugs such as heroin and cocaine.
Some of the effects of nicotine include changes in respiration and blood pressure, constriction of arteries, and increased alertness. Many of these effects are produced through its action on both the central and peripheral nervous system.
2007-02-18 23:41:24 · answer #2 · answered by Vincent 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Nicotine does affect our brain wave but not by speeding electrical impulses. You see the neurotransmitter acetylcholine is the same shape as nicotine. When an impulse is passing throught a synapes, it changes from electrical to chemicals to enter the gap between synape. Acetylcholine is the chemical that leaves one synapes and binds to receptor of another synaptic knob so the impulse can continue to the brain or back to the action site. After it has moved from one synapes to another it is either recycled back in to the synape knob where it came from or it is digested by specific enzymes secreted by the lysosome in the synaptic knob and no more messages are sent. With the presence of nicotine (which is the same shape as acetylcholine) would results in a continious binding to receptor and continue sending this messages. This process cannot stop because there are no digestive enzymes in the body to destroy them. Sometimes, the bind to these receptors permanently and can cause serious damage by sending invalid messages over and over again.
2007-02-19 01:12:00 · answer #3 · answered by hermione 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Nicotine acts on the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. In small concentrations it increases the activity of these receptors, among other things leading to an increased flow of adrenaline, a stimulating hormone. The release of adrenaline causes an increase in heart rate, blood pressure and respiration, as well as higher glucose levels in the blood.
2007-02-19 00:14:12 · answer #4 · answered by Prince 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes, it makes the brain produce to many impulses which cannot pass through the synapse at a normal rate.. increasing reactions...
2007-02-19 01:28:54 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It effects us somehow...otherwise why wouldn't smokers give up easily?
2007-02-21 10:27:44 · answer #6 · answered by Afi 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋