Neuroscience - Addiction and the Brain

Addiction is a complex disorder that can be defined as a "loss of control over a reward-seeking behaviour" (Robert West, 2006). According to Kolb and Volkow (2010;2016), the cycle of addiction involves three stages, each of which implicate distinct neurobiological circuits: 1) Binge-intoxication; 2) Negative Affect and Withdrawal; 3) Preoccupation and Craving. This brief animation will explain these stages, along with the key neural structures that are impacted (and altered) by chronic drug use.
This video is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
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Visit Carleton's Neuroscience Department at carleton.ca/neuroscience/ and check out the podcast at mindingthebrainpodcast.com

[@Jose.T2313]

I have just became aware of the cannabis use disorder that i have developed over the past 2 years. Now i am trying to learn about the neurologic side of this addiction, and have simultaneously decided on the field of study that i will focus on. Neuroscience is 🔥👌

[@AquaticFox]

How is it now?

[@knabellaks]

Brilliant!!! The most important parts of the brained related to addiction is ALL COMBINED in this video. Maybe the best neuro-science video I've ever seen.

[@KimHellemans]

hooray! So happy to hear this!

[@ashrafaliya]

superbly concise and to the point. LOVE IT !

[@1life_Only]

They should teach these in school

[@davidsquire1278]

This is so hard to watch when youve already entered and lived in the final stage for almost a decade

[@kIm70777]

I know yeah, I’m an addict and I’m sitting here watching kind of in shock, like wtf, no wonder I’m in so deep and can’t stop. It’s literally took hostage of my brain. One thing I hate with a passion is when people run down addicts, thinking it’s all fun and games for us and a choice. This is what I will be showing them, however, many don’t want to hear the truth behind it. We shouldn’t have to deal with such stigma.

[@KilgoreTroutAsf]

@@kIm70777 Addiction is not a disease and it is reversible. I know from first hand experience. Look for Marc Lewis videos on KZbin. He explains it pretty well.

[@pavanpyda]

@@KilgoreTroutAsf Mental disorders can be viewed in two different paradigms(categorical approach vs dimensional approach).These approaches are not exclusive and best to view them as complementary....Marc lewis's premise is entirely a philosophical debate on nature of mental disorders. His argument is that categorical approach - implies addictive disorders are abnormal - employed in conveying public messaging is damaging to self-identity of abusers. His thesis is that it would somehow negatively affect outcomes(like recovery). He favors to consider chemical dependency as a extreme end of normal brain learning tendency(which is a dimensional approach to mental disorders), so abusers do not develop a illness identity. His assumption is that illness identity would be demoralizing to the abusers To clarify, you can view dwarfism is normal as people fall on a spectrum for height and it is a extreme end(lower side). This is dimensional approach...Philosophically you can also view dwarfism as abnormal as it is commonly(but not always) associated with genetic defects/endocrine abnormalities/nutritional deficiencies/developmental insults due to poorly controlled medical conditions and it also has adverse personal, social consequences for the persons with dwarfism. This is categorical approach for classifying medical disorders But categorical approach of viewing addiction destigmatizes people in society's eye instead of passing moral judgements on addicts. Categorical approach is not a wrong way to view things as even though you are on the extreme end of normal it is causing significant personal distress and social- occupational dysfunction There are compelling philosophical arguments for and against both approaches

[@stevecooper7038]

@@KilgoreTroutAsf Addiction is a learnt behaviour at neurological level in the brain.

[@amkr186]

There is so much we can't do. Only God can help us in Jesus name 🙏

[@MrFang17]

This was an awesome and easy understanding of this topic!

[@MyStrawberry77]

This was very well explained! =) thanks!

[@kIm70777]

Very insightful.

[@edmonsb7290]

good job. all i need to learn about addiction and its mechanism

[@DCB0I]

Wow very nicely explained!

[@BlankFaceAma]

wow, that was really good. thanks!

[@LakeMusicx]

Great piece of work! More people should know this stuff.

[@muhammadandrew3975]

You all probably dont give a damn but does anybody know of a tool to log back into an instagram account? I was stupid forgot the account password. I would love any tips you can give me

[@fletchergiovanni153]

@Muhammad Andrew instablaster =)

[@aristothinks1560]

Very well explained... Loved it♥️

[@nikhilsrivastava1931]

gr8... thanks

[@thepaulhowell]

I'm not a drug user or a drug advocate, but the serious science of using psilocybin therapy is well researched and quite effective. Before you dismiss this or wave the flag for it, look at some of the videos. Nova has a 2022 documentary that is worth watching.

[@sharlotte_dse]

nice animation 🧡

[@wozbrown8236]

Quite a few years ago there was a BBC lunchtime news feature on a trial to cure chemical addiction. It was reported to be +90% effective in the trials so far. It worked by measuring the frequency of the drug and then passing electrical current of the same frequency through 2 electrodes the patient held in their hands. This caused the body to quickly start to excrete the substance out through the skins pores. The clinic room even had an en-suite shower to wash it all off. I forgot all about it for years and now can find no mention of it on the net. I wish I had recorded it but I had missed the very start of the feature and thought I’ll just record the evening news and get the whole thing. It wasn’t on the evening news however.

[@kurtcoyle7735]

Unfortunately Woz Brown, the only way to mend your brain from what the drug or alcohol has created is 100% Abstinence. There is no other cure today. (Don't believe everything you see and hear in todays Social Media and television. Like you said if something like this exists we ALL would hear about it form the hill tops, as the World is suffering more than ever from Addiction. I'm eight months sober today... by not touching alcohol and my Higher Power (Step 3). All the Best!

[@Ayrad160]

@@kurtcoyle7735 I am sober for 13 months but I still don't feel good and scared to relapse again , some say that we will never be cured and we will definitely relapse one day what do you think about that?

[@maxmarusic413]

@@Ayrad160 It'll be something you have to manage your whole life, but 13 months, in terms of recovering from addiction, is actually a very short amount of time. It usually takes a couple of years for those pathways that were so strongly built to unwind and then the benefits in terms of mood and reduced cravings start to follow. Just keep going and know that every day you stay sober is producing meaningful and positive changes in the brain. Well done for staying sober for 13 months! I would encourage you, if you haven't already, to try and pick up a hobby or something you really enjoy doing that is good for you physically and mentally. This will help to replace that addictive pathway with a newer, healthier habit that replaces it.

[@Ayrad160]

@@maxmarusic413 Thank you so much for your answer , I am 14 months in and still going without a doubt , I hope that after a few months I will feel better , you talked about a hobby but I should start to work first , I was not able to work this last two year because I am very irritable and very tired , I think I am going to try and travel so I can move on with my life .

[@caitlinwatson9812]

This sounds something like electo therapy and it's not been proven very effective long term and is only used in a limited fashion for mental health disorders due to the side effects and invasiveness

[@koffieboon20]

Disappointing and outdated that 'addiction' is still exemplified first and foremost by drug and alcohol abuse. Addiction is part of everyone's life and comes in every possible form, smart phones, porn, exercise, food, shopping, gambling, gaming, plastic surgery.

[@thepaulhowell]

You are so right. I took notes on the video and substituted "drug" and "drug use" with "stimulus" for this very reason.

[@teresacondon33333]

Yeap addiction is anything sugar clothes tv porn etc, we all need to cut down and try to live a more well refined life doing what we love in moderation if its hindering us be able to see this and evaluate. Then we can quit cut down be more wise focus on better healthier alternatives. Alcohol and drugs are probably on the top part of the list because they could kill any any moment even though sugar could kill being in debt has its repercussions. Alcohol and drug dependence even gambling can quickly turn your life upside down and end it or ruined it. I hope one day we will be better equipped to help users in any way not judge but be compassionate to all our brothers & Sisters no one is perfect we are all learning #❤🌍

[@drjsauber2879]

In the beginning with the caveman story, the narrator cited getting food or a sexual partner as being a stimulus for the reward-center/dopamine release in the brain. But they made the mistake by saying that drugs and alcohol can be more addictive than process addictions (sex, shopping, gambling, etc.). They almost got it right.

[@Gratitude_24]

We are looking for guests for our show. If you want to share your addiction story get in touch!

[@senanlane6882]

Not all addictive compounds modulate dopamine, whether directly or indirectly.

[@dineshapunchihewa1228]

Best thing to do is never to start. I know that I can get addicted to things easily. Therefore I avoid all bad habits

[@bradentingle9116]

fun stuff

[@DanielGomez-le5wo]

They should do sit-ups where the upper part of the abdomen is worked, with the legs raised and trying to touch the feet with the hands and its variants that work the upper part of the abdomen, they will see improvements quickly. That upper abdominal exercise will take away your depression and anxiety, it will also heal your mind....

[@kiwamuchukwuka652]

👏👏👏

[@clearmindtreatment]

The real video starts at 0:55

[@rochellebeatty6101]

It’s not worth loosing everything

[@rochellebeatty6101]

Even your life

[@stevecooper7038]

As if addicts have a choice

[@SnackKing1]

@@stevecooper7038 They do. Nobody forces people to take the drug for the first time. Also, I am not sure if addicts have a choice to be addicted, but why not just arrest them for long enough to get rid of the addiction?

[@thepaulhowell]

@@SnackKing1 It appears that you haven't yet grasped the entire concept of addiction. While I don't agree that addicts have no chance or hope for recovery, it's not that simple. Plus, the prisons are no place for an addict and the US has exponentially more prisoners than any country in the world.

[@AquaticFox]

@@SnackKing1once the addiction has gotten too severe they can’t quit, it’s extremely hard. Addicts usually have a circle of people who also are addicts and they have lived that way so long they can’t imagine life without. Addicts can’t just quit if they want to for most cases.. what are they going to do now ? Lose all their friends, happiness and what if it’s due to trauma they use to deal with the pain of life..

[@god9687]

On a certain level, we have a drug store in our hand, the neurochemicals that show up in flow: so dopamine, norepinephrine, anandamide, endorphins, and serotonin. If you were to try to cocktail the street drug version of that, right, you're trying to blend like heroin and speed and coke and acid and weed- and point is, you can't do it. It turns out the hand can cocktail all of 'em at once, which is why people will prefer flow to almost any experience on Earth. It's our favorite experience. It's the most addictive experience on Earth. Why? 'Cause it cocktails five or six of the largest pleasure drugs the hand can produce. We're all capable of so much more than we know. That is a commonality across the board. And one of the big reasons is we're all hardwired for flow, and flow is a massive amplification of what's possible for ourselves.

[@stevecooper7038]

It is actually incorrect to state that relapse isn't caused by cravings. Cravings are the overwhelming reason for relapse. There maybe social/psychological triggers for relapse, but these are merely the match that lights the fire (relapse).

[@iconix1642]

The idea is that the social/psychological settings can trigger the cravings that trigger the relapse. There needs to be an onset for the craving to occur.

[@josephaa9119]

I swear it's my last time but I don't really mean it Those who care about me most know I'm a record that keeps repeatin

[@prajaygaonkar5991]

Watching this vedio for some dopamine!😂

[@santiagos4290]

many other drugs and habits trigger the same response, eg porn

[@ire5685]

winston: overwatch

[@Lone_Star86]

So basically our brains haven't caught up with the new generation and still need to evolve and adapt to current times. 👍

[@kristacyrilla]

The artistic decision to treat the cavewoman like his dead meat is unnerving. Crazy idea, what if… we didn’t depict sex with women like hunting for animals - she doesn’t look happy to be carried away like a killed pig. Ohh and what if she felt “very, very good” too? Wild, right! 1:30

[@tessaporter9497]

i thought the same

[@Mcllm2402]

Is no one going to mention the questionable message of the caveman carrying a girl back to his cave, seemingly unconscious or not walking? I'm sure this is otherwise a good video but we are past the 1950s come on. Especially in the psychological world.

[@KilgoreTroutAsf]

> Lumping meth, marihuana, opiods and alcohol as if they had remotely the same effects or addiction potential.

[@stevecooper7038]

😂

[@chrissie.0864]

Strange voice ?

[@karimalameddine5092]

This is garbage! sigh

[@stevecooper7038]

Let's hear your thesis then mate.

[@karimalameddine5092]

@@stevecooper7038 @Nikola Tesla Sorry for the late reply. It is wrong on many levels. It's attempting to push the narrative that addiction is an exclusive brain problem and in the domain of those who understands it. Things said are taken for granted as ultimate truth such as the role of neurochemicals. There is no mention of non pharmacological variables that are implicated in addiction. Also they say let's talk about addiction and immediately jump into drugs.... Also terms like drugs of abuse are very misleading... The department behind this video is still against the legalizing of weed. I know because I asked in person. This information is disseminated to treatment centers and is not helping people. Interesting to see your perspective. 🙂

[@knabellaks]

​@@karimalameddine5092 You're point is a very good one, but you're reading too much into this by your own bias. This video only explains what happens with the brain when addicted by drugs, and it does so with magnificent clarity... Perhaps the title could have been more precise but that's the time we live in (click bait etc.). As for the "non pharmacological variables that are implicated in addiction", that is exactly what this video is about. Those regions of the brain will work like explaiend here whether it be a substance or a behaviour. That's why they have the introduction. I am for example more addicted to this type of learning, than drugs. Perhaps even this writing I'm doing now. My brain will have all of the same mechanisms explained in the video, except from the bad outcomes that addiction of drugs cause (prefrontal cortex white matter reduction). Or what did you mean by "non pharmacological variables that are implicated in addiction"? "Drugs of abuse" is not misleading. It's either abuse or not abuse. This video is about the abuse. The video is very clear about that. That's why the girl drinks at the end of the video... Watch it again and have an open mind