what are your fiercest cravings whether
we’re ducking out for a smoke
going for glory at the blackjack table
or drowning our sorrows in a glass of
wine we all have ways that we seek to
push our pleasure buttons but what
happens when this need for pleasure
becomes a full-time pursuit when our fix
turns into something more like a
dependence used to be that addiction was
considered a sort of moral failing but
now with a much better understanding of
how the human brain works scientists are
learning new clues about the vicious
cycle of desire binging and withdrawal
that traps tens of millions of people
our brains evolve the reward system
based on a chemical called dopamine this
amazing neurotransmitter creates
cravings in us to encourage behaviors
that help us survive such as eating
procreating or interacting socially in
turn pleasure is then stimulated by
other neurotransmitters in hedonic hot
spots of the brain when dopamine’s
craving circuitry overwhelms to pleasure
hot spots addiction occurs essentially
your reward system is hijacked let’s
break it down this way your desires are
triggered when dopamine starting at the
top of the brain stem travels through
neural pathways to affect the brain
drugs increase this flow of dopamine
where does the dopamine go it blows
throughout the brain’s craving circuit
including the dorsal striatum or brain
nerve cells called neurons begin to form
habits by I dean fun things that you’ve
done like buying drugs or cigarettes
dopamine also goes to the prefrontal
cortex or with the help of an amino acid
called glutamate
rich visualizations that cue cravings
are conjured think images of drug
paraphernalia sex for a bottle of booze
then there’s the amygdala where the
dopamine causes neurons here to be
stimulated by learned emotional
responses like rich leisure coated
memories so what happens when drugs
artificially flood these pathways with
dopamine for one thing the rush can
rewire your brain to want more drugs and
thus create addiction but it turns out
different drugs interact with the reward
system in unique and interesting ways
cocaine for example blocks dopamine
transporters and prevents the removal of
excess dopamine from synapses
methamphetamine on the other hand floods
the terminals of neurons displacing
dopamine into synapses instead and
heroin blocks dopamine inhibitors
causing synapses to flood with dopamine
without restraint the good news with a
refined understanding of the devastating
effects of these drugs comes new angles
and approaches to the treatment of
addiction that have shown remarkable
promise cocaine addicts have been able
to shut off their cravings abruptly when
electromagnetic pulses are applied to
their prefrontal cortex a drug hitherto
used to treat muscle spasms called
baclofen has shown promise for treating
alcohol dependence is more and more of
our friends and family are affected by
crippling addiction it’s comforting to
know that we are finally finding
effective ways to take our
brains back
[Music]
we’re ducking out for a smoke
going for glory at the blackjack table
or drowning our sorrows in a glass of
wine we all have ways that we seek to
push our pleasure buttons but what
happens when this need for pleasure
becomes a full-time pursuit when our fix
turns into something more like a
dependence used to be that addiction was
considered a sort of moral failing but
now with a much better understanding of
how the human brain works scientists are
learning new clues about the vicious
cycle of desire binging and withdrawal
that traps tens of millions of people
our brains evolve the reward system
based on a chemical called dopamine this
amazing neurotransmitter creates
cravings in us to encourage behaviors
that help us survive such as eating
procreating or interacting socially in
turn pleasure is then stimulated by
other neurotransmitters in hedonic hot
spots of the brain when dopamine’s
craving circuitry overwhelms to pleasure
hot spots addiction occurs essentially
your reward system is hijacked let’s
break it down this way your desires are
triggered when dopamine starting at the
top of the brain stem travels through
neural pathways to affect the brain
drugs increase this flow of dopamine
where does the dopamine go it blows
throughout the brain’s craving circuit
including the dorsal striatum or brain
nerve cells called neurons begin to form
habits by I dean fun things that you’ve
done like buying drugs or cigarettes
dopamine also goes to the prefrontal
cortex or with the help of an amino acid
called glutamate
rich visualizations that cue cravings
are conjured think images of drug
paraphernalia sex for a bottle of booze
then there’s the amygdala where the
dopamine causes neurons here to be
stimulated by learned emotional
responses like rich leisure coated
memories so what happens when drugs
artificially flood these pathways with
dopamine for one thing the rush can
rewire your brain to want more drugs and
thus create addiction but it turns out
different drugs interact with the reward
system in unique and interesting ways
cocaine for example blocks dopamine
transporters and prevents the removal of
excess dopamine from synapses
methamphetamine on the other hand floods
the terminals of neurons displacing
dopamine into synapses instead and
heroin blocks dopamine inhibitors
causing synapses to flood with dopamine
without restraint the good news with a
refined understanding of the devastating
effects of these drugs comes new angles
and approaches to the treatment of
addiction that have shown remarkable
promise cocaine addicts have been able
to shut off their cravings abruptly when
electromagnetic pulses are applied to
their prefrontal cortex a drug hitherto
used to treat muscle spasms called
baclofen has shown promise for treating
alcohol dependence is more and more of
our friends and family are affected by
crippling addiction it’s comforting to
know that we are finally finding
effective ways to take our
brains back
[Music]
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