These parts of our brains are the reasons that we are all alive today. They are the reason that we feel the need to socialize, play sports, talk. Without them we would all starve - we would never feel the urge to eat. They are a double edged sword though - the same systems which keep us alive can make us become addicted to dangerous drugs. Whenever we carry out an activity, a region in our brain called the "amygdala"  helps to assess whether or not the action is pleasurable. If the brain determines this activity desirable, a complex system of internal "reward" will kick in, spreading the seeds of addiction.

    Addiction can be more easily understood by likening it to the training of a dog. If you want to teach a dog to sit, you wait until he goes down on command, and then reward him with a treat. In this way, a certain behavior is reinforced. Much the same thing happens within your own very brain. The reaction starts in the VTA, a region at the base of the brain. The VTA sends Dopamine (a kind of chemical cerebral messenger) into the neurons present in the Nucleus Accumbens - an area nestled deep within the brain itself. This is the VTA's way of telling the Nucleus Accumbens that something good has happened. This in turn triggers the Hippocampus, which remembers every detail (such as what drugs were used, where they were used, what the effects were) connected to the good experience.

Dopamine 1.bmp

    But addiction goes farther than that. After the initial hit of Dopamine to the Nucleus Accumbens, signals are sent out which activate various sequences of DNA, which in turn begin producing certain proteins. The first of these is CREB, a protein which dampens the sensitivity of the Nucleus Accumbens neurons to dopamine. At the moment, there are theories, but it is unclear how it achieves this. This is what initially causes tolerance to build. Heroin users find that after taking a number of hits, it begins to take more and more of the drug to produce a "high." When use of the addicting substance ends, so does production of CREB. This causes cravings for the substance, provoking renewed use.

    The next protein which is produced after CREB is Delta FosB. Delta FosB increases sensitivity to the addictive substance. It can stay in the brain for months after its creation, and its effects continue to be felt for the entirety of its presence. Basically, it makes the brain hypersensitive to whatever substance it was addicted to. It is important to note that the risk for addiction is around 50% hereditary - completely out of our control. This must be taken into account when judging the addicted.

    At the moment, addiction (especially to drugs) is treated primarily in therapy. This must be continued, however, we must also address the chemical side of things. We cannot control release of Dopamine, Delta FosB or CREB through group meetings. Thus, to combat addiction we must use a multi-faceted attack. We must treat both the psychological and physical effects of addiction. It is important to remember that because addiction is so elementary to life, it cannot simply be cured. It will take a long time and much effort to find a reliable solution to harmful addictions.