Addiction Changes Brain Biology in 3 Stages

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http://www.foxnews.com/health/2016/01/29/addiction-changes-brain-biology-in-3-stages-experts-say.html

A new study published by the New England Journal of Medicine, found that each of the three stages of addiction affect a person's behavior in a unique way. This alters a person's ability to react to stress and control certain actions. This new research provides an explanation of how addition works in the brain that goes back "addiction is a disease of the brain."

The first stage is binge and intoxication. People take a drug because it makes them feel euphoric. For some, intoxication can eventually lead to changes in the connectivity of the brain which makes the person feel distressed when the drug is not present in their body. The second stage, withdrawal and negative effect is when the person craves more of a drug in order to get rid of that distressed feeling. The brain works to get the individual out of a stressful situation. Addiction also leads to changes in the prefrontal cortex. In the third stage,  preoccupation and anticipation, changes in the prefrontal cortex decreases a person's ability to resist strong urges and to follow through on decisions.

These stages often blend together and a person doesn't simply go through the stages. There is no specific "threshold" that is a baseline for addition. It's unpredictable because so many factors come into play.

I believe that these research could be a huge step in reducing addiction rates and treating addition. By targeting certain stages of addition, one might be able to reduce the changes to the brain and treat the addition. This research does not address why some people are more susceptible to addiction than others. There are many risk factors that affect an individuals brain makeup as well as a large component of genetics. I believe this research is a step in the right direction, however much more research must be done in order to tie up the loose ends.

Comments

  1. UnknownNovember 28, 2016 at 1:27 PM

    In your post, you discussed the link between the 3 stages of addiction and finding a better treatment for it. One of the articles that I read described a new finding where the researchers identified new brain pathways linked to addiction. By manipulating these pathways ( called ventral pallidum which is responsible for regulating motivation, behavior and emotions) drug seeking behavior and motivation for alcohol can be reduced.

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