If someone abuses inhalants, everyone says they will suffer from brain damage. What does this mean?
-Does this mean your ability to learn is not as efficient?
-Does your IQ go down?
-Does it kill your brain cells? (what exactly does this mean as well and what are the consequences of your brain cells dying?)
-If inhaling causes brain damage what exactly is the damage that is done? All of the above....even death in some cases. changes in personality, memory loss, hallucinations and learning problems; problems in balance and movement; damage to the peripheral nerves may cause visual disturbances. web search of inhalant brain damage
"A. BRAIN The chemicals abused by inhalant users affect different parts of the brain, producing a variety of sensory and psychological disorders. Many inhalants are thought to dissolve the protective myelin sheath that surrounds neurons - brain cells - resulting in cell death (see brain diagram).
B. CEREBRAL CORTEX Cellular death here causes permanent personality changes, memory impairment, hallucinations and learning disabilities.
C. CEREBELLUM This is the center that controls balance and coordination. Inhalant-related damage results in loss of coordination and slurred speech. Chronic abusers experience tremors and uncontrollable shaking.
D. OPHTHALMIC NERVE Toluene may affect this nerve causing sight disorders.
A. BLOOD Some substances like nitrites and methylene chloride (paint thinner) chemically block the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood.
B. LUNGS Repeated use of spray paint as an inhalant can cause lung damage.
C. HEART Abuse of inhalants can result in "sudden sniffing death syndrome." This is due to a sudden and unexpected disturbance of the heart's rhythm. All inhalants can produce sudden sniffing death syndrome.
D. LIVER Halogenated compounds like trichloroethylene (a component of aerosol paints and correction fluid) have been linked to damage of this organ.
E. KIDNEY Inhalants containing toluene impair the kidney's ability to control the amount of acid in the blood. This is reversible when toluene leaves the body but, in the long-term, kidney stones may develop.
A. MUSCLE Chronic inhalant abuse can lead to muscle wasting, reduced muscle tone and strength.
B. BONE MARROW Benzene, a component of gasoline, has been shown to cause leukemia.
ADDITIONAL DAMAGE CAUSED BY INHALANTS
PERIPHERAL NERVOUS SYSTEM Chronic inhalation of nitrous oxide (whipped cream propellant) and hexane (found in some glues and camp stove fuels) results in damage to the peripheral nerves. Symptoms can include numbness, a tingling sensation or total paralysis.
ACOUSTIC NERVE AND MUSCLE Toluene inhalation destroys cells that relay sound to the brain. Chronic abusers can become deaf."
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Mind Over Matter: The Brain's Response to Inhalants
Hi, my name's Sara Bellum. Welcome to my magazine series exploring the brain's response to drugs. In this issue, we'll investigate the fascinating facts about inhalants. Some of this information was only recently discovered by leading scientists.
Maybe you haven't heard of inhalants, but you probably come across them pretty often. Hair spray, gasoline, spray paint -- they are all inhalants, and so are lots of other everyday products.
Many inhalants have a strong smell. That's why they're called inhalants: Some people inhale the vapors on purpose.
Why would anyone do this? Because the chemicals in these vapors can change the way the brain works, and those changes can make people feel very happy for a short time.
But inhalants can also do harm.
They
Don't Go
Away When
You Exhale
Inhalant vapors often contain more than one chemical. Some leave the body quickly, but others are absorbed by fatty tissues in the brain and nervous system. They can stay there for a long time.
One of these fatty tissues is myelin -- a protective cover that surrounds many of the body's nerve cells (neurons). Nerve cells in your brain and spinal cord are sort of like "Command Central" for your body. They send and receive messages that control just about everything you think and do.
If you picture nerve cells as your body's electrical wiring, then think of myelin as the rubber insulation that protects an electrical cord.
One problem with inhalant use over the long term is that the chemicals can break down myelin. And if myelin breaks down, nerve cells may not be able to transmit messages.
Beyond the brain
One reason scientists are so interested in inhalants is that these chemicals affect the body in lots of ways. While some effects are due to changes in the brain, others are direct actions on other parts of the body, such as the circulatory system.
Did you know that some inhalants directly increase the size of blood vessels, allowing more blood to flow through? And some inhalants can make the heart beat faster. This can be a serious problem, especially if someone inhales butane gas.
Butane, found in cigarette lighters and refills, makes the heart extra sensitive to a chemical that carries messages from the nervous system to the heart. This chemical, noradrenalin, tells the heart to beat faster when you're in a stressful situation -- like if something suddenly scares you.
If the heart becomes too sensitive to noradrenalin, a normal jolt of it may cause the heart to temporarily lose its rhythm and stop pumping blood through the body. Some inhalant users die this way.
Changes in the brain
Damage from long term use of inhalants can slow or stop nerve cell activity in some parts of the brain.
This might happen in the frontal cortex, the part of the brain that solves complex problems and plans ahead. Or if inhalants get into the brain's cerebellum, which controls movement and coordination, they can make someone move slowly or clumsily.
Studies show that neurons in a part of the brain called the hippocampus can also be damaged by inhalants. The damage occurs because the cells don't get enough oxygen.
Since the hippocampus helps control memory, someone who repeatedly uses inhalants may lose the ability to learn new things, may not recognize familiar things, or may have a hard time keeping track of simple conversations.
Can you fill the gaps
Sometimes, nerve cells that are damaged by inhalants may be able to repair themselves. The empty spaces in the following brain-related words represent damaged neurons. See if you can "repair" them by filling in the blanks to complete the words. (Hint: All the words are in the inhalant series pages.)
M . . L . .
. . U . O .
. . PP . . . M . . S
The search continues
The truth is, there's still a whole lot that scientists do not know about the effects of inhalants on the brain.
When scientists learn more about how various inhalants affect the brain, they may be able to develop treatments that prevent the damage inhalants can cause. Maybe someday you'll make the next major breakthrough.
Until then, follow me -- Sara Bellum -- through many other magazines in my series. We'll explore how drugs can affect the brain and also the nervous system.
National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information
P.O. Box 2345
Rockville, MD 20847
1-800-729-6686" Inhaling (also called "huffing" or "sniffing") chemicals is a problem for many people including teenagers. Inhalants are cheap and can be found everywhere - in kitchens, garages and schools. There are hundreds of different materials that can be abused by people who inhale these dangerous chemicals. Inhalants not only damage the nervous system, but other organs such as the lungs, liver, heart and kidney can be injured permanently.
When vapors are inhaled, they are absorbed through the lungs and enter the bloodstream. Once in the bloodstream, the chemicals travel to the brain and other tissues throughout the body. Most inhalants that are abused depress the functioning of the nervous system. However, the effects of each inhalant are difficult to determine because each product in made up many different chemicals and each person may breathe in different amounts of each chemical. Nevertheless, these chemicals do have significant effects on the nervous system.
Some of the effects of inhalants are similar to those of alcohol. The immediate effects of inhalants include:
* relaxation
* slurred speech
* euphoria
* hallucinations
* drowsiness
* dizziness
* nausea
* vomiting
* DEATH - from heart failure or suffocating on plastic bags or vomit.
Long term use of inhalants can cause:
* memory loss
* concentration problems
* visual disturbances; blindness
* motor problems
* peripheral nerve damage
Inhalants may affect different parts the brain and nervous system and may cause a variety of sensory, motor, psychological and emotional problems. One major effect of inhalants is the destruction of the myelin sheath that surrounds neurons. This can result in problems in the normal transmission of impulses through neurons and cell death.
Specific areas of the brain targeted by inhalants include:
1. Cerebral cortex: damage can cause changes in personality, memory loss, hallucinations and learning problems.
2. Cerebellum: damage can cause problems in balance and movement.
3. Hippocampus: damage may result in the memory problems.
4. Visual System: damage to the peripheral nerves may cause visual disturbances. |
