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Neurological Consequences Of Addiction (QSS)

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Neurological Consequences of Addiction Addictions are all around us, from celebrity tabloids, television shows and possibly an individuals family member or friend. According to Koob, “addiction can be defined as a chronic, relapsing disorder that has been characterized by (i) a compulsion to seek and take drugs, (ii) loss of control over drug intake, and (iii) emergence of a negative emotional state (e.g., dysphoria, anxiety, and irritability) that defines a motivational withdrawal syndrome when access to the drug is prevented”(Koob, 2013). Substance use disorders are among the largest sources of medical disability in the world and also represent a major public health concern globally (Mari, 2013). Substance abuse is associated with topics …show more content…

For example, “directors of the National Institute on Drug Abuse have argued that addiction is a ‘chronic relapsing brain disease’” (Meurk, 2014) whereas, some individuals suggest that modifications to epigenetic of the genome, make up addiction and the biological response to addictive substances (Wong, 2011). In a 2012 study done in Queensland, Australia, 1263 residents filled out a Queensland Social Survey (QSS), a computer-assisted telephone interview (Meurk, 2014) which included a series of questions that were used to examine individuals beliefs about the causes of addiction (Meurk, 2014). Results showed that the majority of participants believed that addiction has multiple causes and participants also see addiction as a symptom (Meurk, 2014). Participants identified stress, psychological problems and addictive personalities as the main causes of addiction (Meurk, 2014). Recent research has shown that genetics also play a role in addiction. In recent twin studies, results have shown that genes contribute to vulnerability to alcohol dependence (Ducci, 2008). According to Harrawood, the brainstem is related to an individuals drug cravings. The brainstem is a major part of a person’s motivational system that controls one’s arousal and drives for basic needs (Harrawood, 2011). Addictive substances are recognized by the brain as more pleasurable than food or sex; therefore, the brain stem will now motivate an individual to …show more content…

In an experiment with mice, ethanol exposure was found to impair 49 genes in the adolescent brain (Lacaille, 2015). Within Lacaille’s study, binge ethanol consumption was reported to induce important brain damages on structures such as the cortex, the hippocampus, or the thalamus. The data within this study suggest that adolescent humans should refrain from binge alcohol consumption due to adolescents being in a period of important vulnerability (Lacaille, 2015). Further research has proposed that excessive alcohol consumption can lead to neuronal damage which associates with mechanisms of developing an alcohol use disorder (Crews, 2015). It has also been reported that alcohol-induced cell death in the prefrontal cortex may lead to lack of inhibition in the striatum, which in turn may also reduce behavioral inhibition and increase the individuals motivation to drink (Crews,

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