This is generally a good thing it ensures that people will seek out things needed for survival. The way the brain signals pleasure is through the release of a neurotransmitter (a chemical messenger) called dopamine into the nucleus accumbens, the brain’s pleasure center. The brain can experience pleasure from all sorts of things we like to do in life eat a piece of cake, have a sexual encounter, play a video game. Substances of misuse trick the brain’s reward system. This is the part of the brain associated with judgment and decision-making (NIDA).Īddiction is similar to other chronic diseases in the following ways:Ģ. In drug addiction, the frontal cortex in particular shows less activity. Both the healthy brain and the healthy heart show greater activity than the diseased brain and heart, because both addiction and heart disease cause changes in function. Greater activity is shown in reds and yellows, and reduced activity is shown in blues and purples. These images show how scientists can use imaging technology to measure functioning of the brain and heart. Below is an image of the brain (left) and the heart (right).

Just as cardiovascular disease damages the heart and changes its functioning, addiction changes the brain and impairs the way it works. Some characteristics of addiction are similar to other chronic diseases. In this section, we will provide updates of current research on addiction, recovery, and the brain.Ĭlick to Learn more about: Neurotransmitters, Agonists, & Antagonists 3 Key Points to Understand the Brain and Addiction:ġ.

Science has come a long way in helping us understand the way the brain changes in addiction.

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