It's a sinister condition that affects millions of Americans: addiction. Whether it's alcohol, drugs, food or gambling, it can ruin lives. In support of National Recovery Month, which calls attention to substance abuse issues and treatment services, Reactions takes a look at the chemistry behind addiction.
That LSU-based research yielded Embera, and in three to five years it could come to market. Goeders and his financial backers at Biomedical Research Foundation of Northwest Louisiana are confident their product will help battle substance addiction.
Online activity: imagine you are an investigator looking for genes that influence niicotene addiction. View video interviews, written surveys, and official records for the Marshall family and trace their pedigree.
A new study by Duke University researchers helps clarify the matter by showing how a sugar habit changes specific brain circuits, and how those changes produce cravings that reinforce the habit.
The research team began by getting a group of healthy mice hooked on sugar. Similar to classic studies on drug addiction, the mice in this study were trained to press a tiny lever to receive doses of sweets. Once the mice were hooked, they continued pressing the lever even when the sweets were removed. So that was step one, establishing a behavioral pattern to get the goods.
When you eat something loaded with sugar, your taste buds, your gut and your brain all take notice. This activation of your reward system is not unlike how bodies process addictive substances such as alcohol or nicotine -- an overload of sugar spikes dopamine levels and leaves you craving more. Nicole Avena explains why sweets and treats should be enjoyed in moderation.
Science behind drug abuse; website for teens. Includes pages on drug facts, blog, national drug facts week event, educator and parent pages, as well as teen prescription drug abuse.