Substance Abuse & The Brain

Dopamine and The Brain

The hypothalamus is responsible for primitive emotions such as fear, anger, joy, and aggression. It is fully developed at birth.The amygdala is responsible for our more sophisticated moods such as love, jealousy, kindness, attraction, etc.More refined and reasonable than the hypothalamus It develops during childhood

Dopamine and The Brain

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter associated with boosted mood.When dopamine is injected into the hypothalamus/amygdala it feels good.You can do this simply by using your imagination.Humans wondered if we could find an artificial means of spiking our dopamine levels beyond what we could manage through our own fantasy thoughts.

Recreational Drugs

Alcohol and Crack Cocaine are two major dopamine enhancing drugs in use today.Alcohol secretes large amounts of dopamine into the amygdala, creating the pleasure experience.Not a bad idea except for the body’s need for homeostasis

How Addiction Works

Homeostasis: The body’s drive drive and determination to keep everything the same, or close to it.Caffeine ExampleAlcohol injects large amounts of dopamine into the amygdala.This feels good but the brain doesn’t like anyone playing with neurotransmitter levelsAfter a while the brain compensates by reducing its own dopamine production

How Addiction Works

This is stage one of addiction, known as tolerance. (reduction in dop. Production)

When you develop tolerance you need more of the drug to give you the same affect that a small amount once gave you.

The body has reduced its own production and now you need more of the drug to produce the same effect

How Addiction Works

As people increase their consumption of the drug the brain moves into stage 2: reducing and removing dopamine receptor sitesReceptor sites are points on the amygdala where the dopamine atttaches.If these don’t exist the dopamine cannot attach and cannot trigger a response from the amygdala.Stage 2 will continue until all, or nearly all of the sites are removed or shut down

How Addiction Works

Stage 3: Crippled BrainIf an addict decides to quit how do they experience pleasure?They don’t, the whole system is crippledThey can only come close to feeling even normal emotions through huge amounts of the drug that will trigger the last few remaining receptor sites

Recovery

This is why recovery is so difficult

Depression is intense and suicide rates are high among recovering addicts

Sometimes receptor sites will rebuild sometimes they won’t. One can permanently cripple this system through substance abuse.

Additional Info.

The rate at which the brain moves through this process varies widelyThe speed at which the brain adjusts tends to be the part of addiction that is genetic.Some of us are lucky and have not so clever brains that can tolerate a moderate amount of substance abuse.Others of us have inherited the clever brains that adjust to changing conditions quite rapidly. These brains are prone to addiction problems

Additional Info.

Adolescent brains do not tolerate moderate recreational drug use as well as adult brains.

The other area of the brain largely affected by drug use is the pre frontal cortex.

This area of the brain does not mature until the age of 21 or 22

Alcohol and other recreational drugs are harmful to the developing pre frontal cortex

Additional Info.

The brain goes through the same scenario of adjustment with all drugs. From ecstasy and marijuana to crack cocaine and pharmaceutical medications.