Melony Hansen, MA, CSW, CSAC, IDP - IT, Substance Abuse Counselor at Family & Children's Center According to the American Society of Addiction Medicine, addiction is «a primary, chronic disease
of brain reward, motivation, memory and related circuitry.
Similar to the old belief about alcoholism as a moral issue, recent research studies have shown «that it is a primary, chronic disease
of brain reward, motivation, memory, and related circuitry, with manifestations along biological, psychological, social, and spiritual domains.»
Chronic abuse of alcohol leads to inactivation
of the brain reward cascade, reduction of dopamine receptors and dopamine release what can cause unpleasant feelings, such as anxiety, anger and low self - esteem [33].
Nicotine appears to cause addiction by strengthening the excitatory connections on the neurons that make dopamine, which are found in the Ventral Tegmental Area (VTA)
of the brain reward center.
For the first time, neuroscientists have boosted a female rodent's partnering with a male by stimulating connectivity
of a brain reward circuit.
RED - LIGHT DISTRICT Levels
of a brain reward compound increased in male fruit flies genetically engineered to ejaculate when exposed to red light when the insects were bathed in the rosy hue.
Not exact matches
In fact, we almost can't help sharing our thoughts and feelings: Research also shows that talking about ourselves, whether in person or on social media, triggers the same pleasure sensation in the
brain as does money or food — self disclosure causes increased activity in
brain regions associated with the sense
of reward and satisfaction from money, food and even sex.
It becomes important in adolescence when a flood
of hormones changes the
reward centers in the
brain and causes lording it over others to suddenly become much more pleasurable.
Technology has the ability to stimulate the
reward centers
of the
brain.
Eventually that craving will make it easier to push through the gym doors every day... Only when your
brain starts expecting the
reward — craving the endorphins or sense
of accomplishment — will it become automatic to lace up your jogging shoes each morning.
Studies have revealed that when a person feels appreciated and recognized, the
brain releases dopamine, the hormone that is responsible for controlling the
reward and pleasure center
of the
brain.
Unlike the non-dieters, the dieters tended to show a heightened response in the areas
of their
brains linked with processing
rewards, and a lowered response in the parts
of their
brains linked with a sense
of control.
When the participants were well rested, the
reward centers
of their
brains didn't react nearly as much to the junk food photos as when they were lacking sleep, suggesting that we're subconsciously more attracted to fatty foods when we're tired and need energy.
In each case, the
brain releases a small amount
of dopamine, a
reward - seeking chemical that promotes repeat behavior.
Social media and messaging fool the limbic system — the part
of the
brain responsible for survival and response to emotional stimuli — into
rewarding us every time we connect with others online.
Research has linked the positive feeling we often experience while talking about ourselves to higher levels
of activation in areas
of the
brain associated with
reward.
Every
reward gives you a boost to the pleasure centers
of the
brain that reinforce the behavior and keep you going further down the rabbit hole.
Setting over-reaching goals, or too many goals at once, can be counterproductive for those seeking to harness the power
of the
brain's
reward center.
Our natural inclinations seem to be connected to the individual sensitivity
of our amygdalae, the part
of the
brain that functions as the «emotional switchboard,» and to how actively we each respond to dopamine — a «
reward chemical» released in the
brain when it anticipates attaining something pleasurable, like sex or chocolate cheesecake.
Small victories build new androgen receptors in the areas
of the
brain responsible for
reward and motivation.
These newly implicated areas
of the
brain are generally associated with
reward, and have been linked to the pleasurable feelings and motivational states associated with stimuli such as sex, cocaine, and good food.
The «immediate
reward» sensation drives a lot
of this — our
brains anticipate getting something good every time we check in, even if it's just every few seconds.
In our
brains, dopamine levels increase when we're experiencing or anticipating some kind
of reward (it also has many other purposes — read more about it here).
A study from 2014 confirmed the link between pornography use and decreased
brain matter in the areas
of motivation and decision making, impaired impulse control and desensitization to sexual
reward.
A wide variety
of vertebrates also are known to have «
reward circuits» in their
brains.
«Over time, the effect on the
reward centre in the
brain is similar to what makes drug addicts go back for another line
of cocaine.»
This signal activates your
brain's
reward system — which includes «dopamine hotspots» — and then your
brain's
reward system subconsciously tells you that you should eat another Oreo to continue feeling those warm, happy vibes
of ecstasy.
It is well - known for its ability to assist in increasing levels
of dopamine and serotonin — neurotransmitters that control the
brain's
reward and pleasure centers, reduce stress and stabilize mood.
It's all part
of a growing subgenre
of ethnic cuisine (see: Mission Chinese Food and Mott St) that, when executed with passion and skill,
rewards the pleasure center
of the
brain just as much as some preciously foraged $ 100 tasting menu.
A study published a few years ago in the journal Frontiers in Psychology shows that when moms breathe in the smell
of their own newborns, it releases a
reward - seeking response in the
brain.
Drugs, such as cocaine, nicotine and amphetamines, also lead to an increase
of dopamine in the
reward system
of the
brain.
It is released in certain parts
of the
brain by
rewarding experiences, such as achievement, food consumption, and other pleasures
of life.
From what we know today, the primary chemical involved in the
reward of power is dopamine, which is also the
brain's «pleasure chemical».
It is addictive and functions on the basis
of ready - made
reward circuitries in the
brain, producing extreme pleasure.
Looking inside the
brains of animals exposed to chronic social defeat stress, the scientists observed hyperactive firing
of neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), a critical part
of a
reward circuit.
All overstimulate the
brain's so - called
reward system, as do the major drugs
of abuse, such as cocaine and heroin.
When looking at their exes, the spurned lovers showed activity in parts
of the
brain's
reward system, just as happy lovers do.
The pair noticed that certain parts
of the animal
brain were inherently sensitive to repetition — regardless
of whether it translated into a valued juice
reward.
«Our goal was to discover the
brain mechanisms responsible for the
rewarding effects
of the drug and the motivation to seek it even after long periods
of abstinence,» says Cowan.
HDAC5 is found in high amounts in neurons in the nucleus accumbens, part
of the
reward center
of the
brain that reacts strongly to cocaine, opioids and alcohol — both in rodents and humans.
Volkow walked through how the analgesic and
rewarding effects
of opioids are expressed in pain terminals in the spinal cord and in the
brain where the drugs impact regions that regulate
reward and pleasure.
The results are largely consistent with a growing body
of research about the neural basis
of aggression, and how it is triggered by changes in the way that the prefrontal cortex, the limbic system and
reward - related regions
of the
brain function.
In mice exposed repeatedly to cocaine, UMSOM researchers identified an increase in a molecule that plays a role in mitochondria division (or fission) in a
reward region
of the
brain.
This experience mimicked the
brain's
reward - based learning response — as opposed to an avoidance - learning response, an experience that involves different parts
of the
brain that together comprise the «anterior insula.»
One
of your biggest discoveries was how addiction affects the D2 receptor, the protein that determines how sensitive individuals are to the release
of the neurotransmitter dopamine, a chemical in the
brain associated with feelings
of reward and pleasure.
The level
of the
reward chemical dopamine you have in a
brain region may determine your reply.
The experiments highlighted an area
of the
brain known as the «nucleus accumbens», which has been long - associated with motivation,
reward and depression — in humans too.
The basal ganglia are structures deep within the
brain, thought to be responsible for control
of movements and responses to
rewards as well as cognitive functions.
Recent studies have demonstrated that falling in love — or the love a mother has for an infant, which is so powerful — is driven by these
reward processes, and it actually engages the same [
brain] circuit that gives priority
of that behavior over anything else, just like in addiction.
In people, addictive drugs desensitise the
brain by raising the threshold
of «
reward» activity that is needed to feel satisfied: more drug is needed to achieve the same effect.