Addiction and the BrainThe thought that Brain = Behavior and its inherent ramifications proves no more fascinating than when discussed in the context of "Addiction and the Brain ". It is essential to consider the following points: - what exactly is an addictive/abusive substance (drugs of abuse) - what brain centers/chemicals are involved - what does it mean to become physiologically dependent - how the concept of addiction should - how could we use animal models - and what type of treatment approaches should we follow. These questions will be briefly elucidated, while additional information remains available from the web sources listed below. A drug of abuse/dependence would be a drug that leads to "recurrent and significant adverse consequences associated with repeated use of the drug...[involving] compulsive drug use, interference with normal activities and may include tolerance and physical dependence” (2). Tolerance and physical dependence that frequently occur as a normal physiological adaptation to non-addictive prescription medications should be distinguished from tolerance and physical dependence experienced in the context of addiction, a "chronic, relapsing disease characterized by research and compulsive drug use” (5). In general, drugs of abuse tend to cause a rapid and intense change in brain chemistry, resulting in an “intensely rewarding” euphoric state (1). This state of pleasure results from increased levels of the catecholamine neurotransmitter dopamine (DA). The high concentration and increased synaptic presence of DA are found to be significant in the experience of pleasure, the reduction of pain and therefore essential components in the general mechanism of addiction (3). These areas...... middle of article ...... lity of treatment success presented in the form of disease management (5). Sources WWW1) Selfish Brain Chapterhttp://www.appi.org/books/dupont/rd04.html2)Pharmacological aspects of drug addictionhttp://home.fuse.net/gelowitz/addiction.html3) American Journal of Psychiatry, editorial , “Progress in the Science of Addiction” http://www.appi. org/ajp/sep97/edit.html4) National Institute of General Medical Sciences, Fruit Flies May Shed Light on Cocaine Addictionhttp://www.nigms.nih.gov/news/releases/cocaine.html5) National Institutes of Justice, Addiction Is a Brain Disease - and It's Important http://ncjrs.org/txtfiles/jr000237.txt6) Clinical Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience Unit, Classical Conditioning and Memory for Drugs: Cortical Mechanisms and subcortical http://www.psychologie.hu-berlin. fr/klieng/klifo510.htm