Word: brained
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...establish a persuasive motive for one set of characters to spend some time and much energy chasing another set of characters around, the truth (or falsity) of these pictures must be looked for in the staging and cutting of the subsequent shoot-outs and chases. In judging those, the brain gratefully surrenders to the viscera. In a sense, these films, so dependent for their success on mastery of movie technique, represent one of cinema's purest forms. And all action movies may aspire to be judged not on the basis of how well they imitate life, but on how well...
Crack is cocaine intensified. Its effects are cocaine's--but amplified, sharper, meaner, uglier. The assault on the body, brain and nervous system occurs in swifter, more profound fashion. "Crack, even more than plain cocaine, puts users at extremely high risk," says Dr. Nicholas Masi of the cocaine addiction treatment center in Plantation...
...dangerous changes that crack triggers in the body. Crack, says Masi, "throws the entire cardiovascular system into turmoil. Your blood vessels rapidly constrict. You're a key candidate for respiratory failure." Dramatically increased blood pressure and heart rate can lead to coronary attacks, and the intense stimulation of the brain may trigger convulsions...
Crack's addictive qualities affect the brain's biochemistry. The nerve cells of the brain communicate with one another with the help of chemicals called neurotransmitters. Crack triggers the brain to release these substances, chiefly dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine, at once. This overstimulation, says Rosecan, "probably results in the euphoria experienced by the user...
...effect is the same as overdrawing a bank account to go on a spending spree. Cocaine blocks the return of the neurotransmitters to the nerve cells for reuse. Eventually the brain is squeezed dry and craves stimulation. Addicts who try to recapture the high by smoking more crack only aggravate the neurochemical deficiency. Says Rosecan: "We think these physical changes correspond to the psychological changes of the crash--depression, irritability, paranoia and craving...