Food Rewards

The ponderance that Brain = Behavior and the inherent ramifications of such proves no more fascinating than when addressed in the context of "Addiction and the Brain". Essential to consider is:

The last and also the most important part, reward, is the motivation depended on which our brain will determine the value of a habit. “A reward helps our brains figure out if this particular loop is worth remembering for the future” (19). If a habit is evaluated as a worthless, it will fade gradually in the future. The reward of my habit to procrastinate is that I can postpone to finish my homework and enjoy the free time in advance, even though it always causes an unpleasant result in the end. Our craving brains play an important role to maintain an existent habit loop, which amplify the effect of

As results of scientific research, we know that addiction is a disease that affects both the brain and behavior. A disease is an interruption, cessation, or disorder of a body system, or organ structure, or function; according to Stedman’s Medical Dictionary. (Sheff ,2013) cites, the disease od addiction has an etiologic agent, identified by a group of signs and symptoms or consistent anatomic alterations. There are significant changes in the brain. The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) states that addiction is a primary, chronic disease of brain reward motivation, memory and related circuitry. Dysfunction in these circuits leads to characteristics biological, psychological, social and spiritual manifestations. This is reflected in an individual pathology pursuing reward and /or relief by substance use and other behaviors. (Addiction is characterized by inability to consistently abstain, impairment of behavioral control, craving, diminished recognition of significant problems with one’s behaviors and interpersonal relationships and dysfunctional emotional responses. Like other chronic diseases, addiction often involves cycles of relapse, and remission. Without treatment or engagement in recovery activities, addiction is progressive and can result in disability or premature death. (ASAM Adopted as Policy, February

Addiction starts in the frontal cortex of the brain where an individual’s hobbies, preferences, tastes in art or music, sense of humor and overall personality lie. Also, “certain areas in the frontal cortex are responsible for making decisions

History suggests that overeating is a choice, an addition similar to smoking cigarettes caused by lack of will power, boredom or simple gluttony. With new research, society is beginning to learn there is more behind obesity than just a choice or addition. For instance, a

Basic neurobiological research has improved our understanding of the biological and genetic causes of addiction. These findings have helped establish addiction as a biological brain disease that is chronic and relapsing in nature (Leshner, 1997). As the central nervous system is considered to be the communication pathway to the entire body with the brain being its control mechanism. The brain processes sensory information from throughout the body, guides muscle movement and locomotion, regulates a multitude of bodily functions, forms thoughts and feelings, modulates perception and moods, and essentially controls all behavior (Leshner, 1997). The body and brain then become defendant on this stimuli, as the body and brain adjust to the rewards of receiving this type of sensation. This is where the substance abuse and addiction problems

As has been shown in task activation studies (Hartwell et al., 2011; Li et al., 2013a), chronic nicotine exposure leads to disordered functional connectivity in specific circuits (Sutherland et al., 2013) and large-scale networks (Weiland et al., 2015). The left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) is thought to be essential in the exertion of executive control over emotions of craving and limbic reward circuits associated with smoking (da Silva et al., 2013; Goldstein and Volkow, 2011). Structural MRI studies have found that smokers have decreased gray matter volume in the DLPFC (Brody et al., 2004; Gallinat et al., 2006). In fMRI studies, researchers reported that smokers had hypo-activation of the DLPFC and hyper-activation of subcortical areas as compared to both controls and former smokers (Nestor et al., 2011). Recently another study demonstrated that decreased left DLPFC and increased PCC percent BOLD signal change and increased withdrawal symptoms predicted subsequent relapse (Loughead et al., 2015). These findings suggest that a disruption of prefrontal cortex and subcortical reward circuits accompany nicotine dependence, which may lead to the

In my opinion, Dr. Brian Wansink has developed a novel approach regarding our eating patterns. Dr. Brian Wansink mentions, “all of our senses buy us our taste” (n.d., n.p.). Meaning there are several external influences that govern how much we eat, rather than simply the fact of being hungry. For example, I recently went out to eat, but then had to attend a family birthday party 2 hours later. I was no hungry, but my family persisted that I sit down and eat with them as a family. One thing that I noticed during our dinner was people getting them a larger portion of one of the “favorite” desserts because it was in a small dish; unbeknownst to everyone, there was another one put away, which demonstrated Dr. Wansink’s theory that smaller

Although social and cultural factors are sometimes acknowledged within the field of neuroscience as contributing to addiction “the brain reward system” is the focus of the new approach to addiction.

In today's society, addiction is not viewed as brain disease. Many believe the act of taking illicit drugs or indulging in addictive behaviors, such as gambling, is a voluntary act. However, studies of the past few decades support the idea of addiction as brain disease. Unfortunately, this concept is still questioned because the behaviors of addiction have not yet been fully linked to neurobiology.

Addiction is like all behaviours “the business of the brain”. Addictions are compulsive physical and psychological needs from habit-forming sustenances like nicotine, alcohol, and drugs. Being occupied with or involved in such activities, leads a person who uses them again and again to become tolerant and dependent eventually experiencing withdrawal. (Molintas, 2006).

Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a frequent, lifelong, and crippling disorder that is present in several medical settings. However it is under-recognised and undertreated, and for many years, obsessive-compulsive neurosis had been seen as a disorder that provided an important outlook on the workings of the unconscious mind. Today, “obsessive-compulsive disorder is viewed as a good example of a neuropsychiatric disorder, mediated by pathology in specific neuronal circuits, and responsive to specific pharmacotherapeutic and psychotherapeutic interventions”. In the future we hope to expect a more precise picture of the origins of the disorder, with the use of data collected from neuroanatomical, neurochemical, neuropathological, neurogenetic,

When it comes to the topic of addiction, most of us will readily agree that it is a miserable trait to possess. An addiction is a physical and psychological state of being that if not treated correctly could result into harmful wrongdoing. In The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg, he recounts a story in which a fatigued housewife named Angie Bachmann lost all of her family’s assets, amounting to a million dollars due to a gambling addiction. Every habit has three components: a cue or a trigger of an automatic behavior to start, a routine the behavior itself, and a reward which is how our brain learns to remember this pattern for the future. According to Duhigg, “you cannot extinguish a bad habit, you can only change it” (63). Duhigg

The results of the experimental group (on average 25% increased fat and 35% increased sugar diet) were compared to the control group as well as to the baseline experiment before diet alterations. The experimental rats ate and weighed more than the control rats. The experimental group results were similar to the control group for the object task (Experiment 2 - both variants) but the experimental group scored lower on the place task (Experiment 1 - both variants). The place-task analysis revealed the two groups had same total exploration times but the experimental rats spent less of that time exploring the novel location (lower novelty preference). For the object task, they spent the same total amount of time exploring and similarly divided

One of the most popular New Year’s Resolutions is making it to the gym and shedding off those extra unwanted pounds padded on from the end-of-year holidays that encourage over-indulgence of delicious treats and tasty comfort foods. This and many other unhealthy habits can lead to depression, anxiety and a reduced sense of self-worth. What most people do not realize is that the temptations can be lessened by having a better understanding of their brain health and its power. “Everything you are and everything you do is controlled by your brain” (Sharpbrains, 2014). Luckily, there is still hope for all of us to improve and repair our brains.