How the brain works

Brain area’s

Your brain is divided into different areas. Each specialises in a particular function. There are areas for processing sensory information, for example, and areas for forming memories. Each brain area has its own combination of neurons and neurotransmitters.

If a person takes drugs, these are carried to the brain by the blood. The effects of drugs depend on:

• the neurotransmitters that they influence
• the areas in the brain where those transmitters are located
• the functions that those brain areas perform.

Most drugs influence not just one, but several neurotransmitters.