9/26/2011

Drugs, Addiction, and the Brain

: Substances that influence brain & behavior

Drug Addiction
Starts with a voluntary decision to use Why do people try drugs? Use

Using drugs for pleasure, to reduce stress, or to alter reality Over time = not voluntary Chronic relapsing disease Compulsive, uncontrollable, drug seeking and use Disregard negative consequences. Literally changes the brain!! Abuse

Addictions can

Addiction

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Risk Factors for Addiction

Biological

Drug Related

Smoking cocaine is more addictive because it gets to the brain faster than snorting it

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Risk Factors for Addiction

Environmental
Home/Family Life: Peers & Interactions: School:

Adolescence More Vulnerable to Drugs Use

Risk of abuse increases with transitions Changing schools, breakups, etc Greater availability Peer Pressure Brain still developing Frontal cortex is last to fully develop responsible for decisions and judgment Drugs can disrupt or alter the normal development

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Our Reward System

Located in our

, which also houses memory and emotions (see next slide) Brain is wired to feel pleasure with life sustaining functions (eating, sex, etc..) Activated whenever you feel good for any reason

Examples: Release of

= feelings of pleasure

Photo courtesy of the NIDA Web site. From A Slide Teaching Packet: The Brain and the Actions of Cocaine, Opiates, and Marijuana.

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Our Reward System

Dopamine is linked to drugs of abuse Drugs activate our reward system Drugs increase the release of dopamine (2-10 times more than natural rewards) Over time, body stops making dopamine Less enjoyment from once pleasurable activities Need the drug just to restore normal dopamine

levels

: Need more of the drug to get high

Your Brain on Cocaine

Positron Emission Tomography (PET Scan) Yellow is the action of the drug Strongest effects over in 10 minutes All effects over in 30 without more drug

1-2 Min

3-4

5-6

6-7

7-8

8-9

9-10

10-20

20-30

Photo courtesy of Nora Volkow, Ph.D. Mapping cocaine binding sites in human and baboon brain in vivo. Fowler JS, Volkow ND, Wolf AP, Dewey SL, Schlyer DJ, Macgregor RIR, Hitzemann R, Logan J, Bendreim B, Gatley ST. et al. Synapse 1989;4(4):371-377.

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Never used Cocaine

Cocaine Addict

The brain on the left with an abundance of red is the healthy, active brain of someone who has never used cocaine.
Photo courtesy of NIDA. If You Change Your Mind. Student magazine. NIH Publication No. 93-3474, 1993.

Your Brain After Drugs

See next slide for explanation

Photo courtesy of Nora Volkow, Ph.D. Volkow ND, Hitzemann R, Wang C-I, Fowler IS, Wolf AP, Dewey SL. Long-term frontal brain metabolic changes in cocaine abusers. Synapse 11:184190, 1992; Volkow ND, Fowler JS, Wang G-J, Hitzemann R, Logan J, Schlyer D, Dewey 5, Wolf AP. Decreased dopamine D2 receptor availability is associated with reduced frontal metabolism in cocaine abusers. Synapse 14:169-177, 1993.

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Your Brain After Drugs

Shows brain glucose utilization, a marker of brain activity. Yellow and red indicated increased brain function. A lot of

red/yellow = lots of brain activity

Once the brain becomes addicted to cocaine, it is affected for a

long time. Once addicted, the brain is literally changed.

Top row = Normal functioning brain without drugs. Middle row = A cocaine addicts brain after 10 days w/o drug. Third row = The same addicts brain after 100 days w/o drug.

Scientists are concerned the brain may never fully recover

from drug abuse and addiction.

The Emotional Memory of Drugs

(see next slide for explanation)

Front of Brain

Amygdala not lit up

Amygdala activated

Back of Brain

Nature Video

Cocaine Video

Photo courtesy of Anna Rose Childress, Ph.D.

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The Emotional Memory of Drugs

Just the mention of items associated with drug use may cause an addict to crave or desire drugs. This study compared recovering addicts, who had stopped using cocaine, with people who had no history of cocaine use. Brain scans were performed while subjects watched two videos: one with a nondrug focus showing nature images; the second video showed drug paraphernalia (pipes, needles, matches, etc..) Notice the activity in the amygdala, critical for memory and emotions. For an addict, when a drug craving occurs, the amygdala becomes active and a craving for cocaine is triggered.

Dependence
After repeated use, neurons are Organism can only function with the drug Manifested (demonstrated) by

when drug removed

Example: Caffeine headaches when you dont drink your coffee Withdraw life threatening with alcohol Severity of heroin withdraw, which is extremely painful, leads many to return to using the drug

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For More Information

NIDA Public Information Office: 301-443-1124 Or www.nida.nih.gov www.drugabuse.gov National Clearinghouse on Alcohol and Drug Information (NCADI): 1-800-729-6686