How do stimulants work?
Each nerve cell has two ends–a head and a tail, if you will. At the head, the cell manufactures chemicals known as neurotransmitters. As their name implies, these chemicals transmit an impulse from one nerve to the next. The nerve cell stores these neurotransmitters until a signal reaches it; then it releases them from the head of the cell. Some of the neurotransmitters attach themselves to receptors on the next nerve’s tail. They fit into these receptors like a key into a lock, triggering a signal in the second nerve. This signal, in turn, travels to the head of the second cell, where the process happens again. This chain reaction of chemical and electrical signals transmits the impulse along the nerve pathway. To fire the second nerve, the first nerve has to release enough neurotransmitters to bind with the receptor sites. Normally, it releases more than necessary. After the neurotransmitters have done their job, the original cell recaptures some of them, storing them to be used aga
