Alcohol and Other Drugs 4 of 8 Teaching Steps 1. See How Psychoactive Drugs Affect the Brain .
Nerve cells have receptors that are sensitive to various drugs.
Psychoactive drugs produce their effects by altering the neurotransmitters. The nerve cell can be thought of as the lock and the drug as the key. Hand two sheets of blue paper to the first student at point A, where the nerve impulse begins, and explain that this represents the beginning of the nerve impulse with Nick Neuron. Direct students in the following steps, explaining what each step represents. Each student's passing the paper represents the movement of sodium and potassium ions across the cell membrane at each point along the neuron.