Is the Brain Wired Differently in People With Addiction?

YES MAYBE NO PERHAPS –

Feb. 16, 2023 – Risks associated with substance abuse include dangerous driving, missed work, problems with depression, anxiety, health and money problems. Yet people with addictions seem to experience a sort of myopia, getting in deeper and deeper to cope with unpleasant emotions and to feel good, regardless of the cost.

Research has clearly established that psychosocial and environmental factors play a role in the development of substance abuse disorders. But there is more to the story, and now functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies are highlighting the importance of biological factors, in particular how the brain functions.

“The influence of such factors can be as much as 50%—this astonishingly high figure is why we’re so interested in what’s going on in the brains of substance abusers,” explained Stéphane Potvin, a professor in Université de Montréal’s Department of Psychiatry and Addiction whose research focuses primarily on the harmful effects of cannabis and alcohol on the brain structures of people with schizophrenia.