Addiction
How many people in the U.S. suffer from addiction?
21 million
What three things do we need to survive as a human?
Food, Water, and Dopamine
What shows reduced activity in the prefrontal cortex, responsible for decision making and impulse control in people who suffer from addiction?
MRIs
Two medications that raise dopamine up to normal levels in opioid users are?
Buprenorphine and Methadone
What are the four pillars of understanding addiction?
Impaired control, social impairment, risky use, pharmacological properties
This is the number one cause of injury-related death in the U.S.
What chemical is responsible for motivation, pleasure, and reinforcement?
Dopamine
When patients who had not had their drug of choice, were asked about the first time they used and the last time they used, what happened to the fMRI?
The craving signal lit up like a baseball field
Where does alcohol work in the brain?
GABA receptors
What makes a patient successful in therapy?
Having enough dopamine
What percentage of treatments are effective for opioid use disorder and alcohol use disorder?
75%
What area of the brain is responsible for reward and pleasurable experiences?
The Limbic System
What does the DSM-V base the diagnosis of addiction?
Behaviors of a person
Where does marijuana affect the brain?
Nucleus accumbens
What is a huge player that triggers relapse?
Decision fatigue
On a normal day, how much dopamine do we need?
50 nanograms per deciliter
What happens when we start to lack dopamine in our body?
The body starts to crave it and goes into survival mode
Cravings are often triggered by these, such as seeing people or places associated with drug use.
Cues
What is a medications that can help marijuana use disorder?
N-acetyl cysteine
What can be added to medication assisted treatment to help reduced cravings?
Group therapy, one-on-one therapy, and self-help therapy
By how much does methamphetamine push our normal requirement of dopamine?
More than 10x the normal limit
What is the intense psychological or physical desire for a substance, often triggered by cues like environments, people, or stress?
Cravings
What is the whole point of decreasing cravings?
Preventing relapse
Overusing substances causes the brain to release less dopamine over time. What is the term for needing more of a drug to feel the same effect?
Tolerance
What can we do at a societal level to help treat addiction?
Decrease stigma