How Psychoactive Drugs Affect the Brain Nerve cells in the brain are called neurons. Neurotransmitters include serotonin, acetylcholine, norepinephrine, dopamine, histamine and about two dozen others. When a message moves down the axon of the pre-synaptic neuron, neurotransmitters are released from the vesicle.
Many nerve cells have receptors that are sensitive to various drugs.
Influences of Psychoactive Drugs Drugs are often made more tempting when portrayed by users as magical or possessing special properties. These attractive descriptors likely helped persuade others to experiment. Today's drugs of abuse are no different. No matter what type of nickname a psychoactive drug possesses, it basically produces its effect by altering the powerful neurotransmitters in the brain. The influence of psychoactive drugs is almost entirely limited to changes in the synapse.