The researchers used tracer molecules to follow electrical activity in the brain in rats exposed to cocaine. They found that a hub of neurons in the extended amygdala (the brain's motivation/learning center) acts as a relay between activation of the ventral subiculum (the brain's addiction cen...
TheNational Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) defines addiction“as a chronic, relapsing disorder characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use despite adverse consequences. It is considered a brain disorder because it involves functional changes to brain circuits involved in reward, stress, and self-...
This differed from "club drug" users who we identified from among people seeking help for addiction at a clinic. This group had "cold" cognitive problems in learning and memory. They also had difficulties controlling impulses. This is consistent with research oncocaine-dependent individuals, who t...
Addiction is characterized by profound changes in the brain’s reward system. Substances and addictive behaviors can hijack this system, altering the way the brain perceives pleasure and rewards. Neuroplasticity plays a dual role in addiction. While it underlies the brain’s ability to adapt to th...
neuroscience of addictionself-regulationThis article reviews the new ideas emerging from neuroscience regarding the question of why some people are compelled to use drugs. During the process of drug exposure, the brain's motivational system is changed and these changes, along with changes in the ...
They’re at a risk for developing an addiction. In those teens, the brain associates drug use with such positive rewards that the dopamine release caused by other activities no longer causes happiness. Drug use becomes a top priority for the brain, and the parts of the brain in charge of ...
If so, you may be wondering how to stop drug abuse. Think you can stop on your own? You may need a reality check. Once you become addicted, your brain gets used to drugs and alcohol and changes the way it functions accordingly. ...
This drug’s primary mechanism of action is inhibition of dopamine reuptake, making it a powerful agent of long term addiction.75-77With respect to the eye, the immediate effects of cocaine include mydriasis, lid retraction, conjunctival blanching and decreased corneal sensation.78,79 ...
of spines. Many neurological diseases—schizophrenia,autism, anddementia—are characterized by reduced synaptic density. An opposite problem occurs with drugaddiction, where certain synaptic connections are strengthened by the drug, essentially creating a way to store a memory that drives the addiction. ...
The Cost Of Heroin Addiction The cost of heroin continues to drop, while potency levels rise. However, heroin andblack tar heroincontinue to be cut with a range of harmful products to increase drug trafficking organizations’ profits. A “baggie” (or small, single-use bag) of heroin typicall...