CINEMA 3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 15: Brainstem, Social Alienation, Neuromodulation
Document Summary
Addiction is characterized by changes in brain systems that mediate the experience and anticipation of reward, systems responsible for perception and memory, and higher-order executive systems underlying cognitive control. The disease model stipulates that these changes are caused by exposure to drugs of abuse, and they are difficult if not impossible to reverse. Addiction may be viewed as a choice rather than a pathology. It can sometimes be considered rational in the short run: as when the pleasure or relief derived from drugs temporarily outweighs the alternatives. Addiction may be a natural response to environmental or economic conditions beyond the addict"s control. Can be seen as a form of self-medication that works against psychological suffering. Addiction is defined as a chronic, relapsing brain disease that is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences. Dopamine transmission and reception are altered over time: increasingly, it is only the user"s substance of choice that reliably impacts on dopaminergic activity.
