The Reward Circuit: How the Brain Responds to Natural Rewards and Drugs 

we do be forced to watch this doe 😳

👋

Who else is only here because you couldn’t access it on the school computers

Please read my comments thanks

I'm a junior at a university studying psychology and how addiction affect the brain. An electrical and chemical signal, triggers dopamine release. There's dopamine neurons, dopamine neurotransmitters and dopamine receptor cells ect.... All the things that do an action with dopamine are called dopamine "this" or a dopamine "that". The name just refers to what that "thing" does with the actual dopamine itself. The Dopamine chemical allows us to feel pleasure. Psychoactive Drugs cause a large amount of dopamine to be released and received very quickly; thats the feeling of getting high, or AKA "the Rush". Drugs and natural rewards cause the big surge of dopamine release and when it gets received by the receptor cells we feel good. The quicker and higher number of dopamine that's released, increases the intensity of the high or the good feeling. That's why people get a better "high experience" when they use IV drugs or inhale substances, because more dopamine is release in the brain and much faster. The quicker the dopamine release the more intense the high. Most importantly, the big surge of dopamine makes the drug more addicting. The bad new is the "Big Surge" of dopamine disrupts the normal production of dopamine so people get really down and can not feel good without drugs--AKA anhedonia. In regards to a Natural Reward like eating food, our brain releases this dopamine so we will have a desire to eat food again; the reward circuit is essential for our survival, because it motivates us to do things that will maintain our existence. With out the reward system, we would not be motivated to do anything and our species would just lie down and do nothing. The reward system makes us feel good when we do something motivating us to do that behavior again, that needed for survival. However when this is acquired artificially--like with drugs-- we can become addicted. Once addicted there's a whole mess of other stuff that happens with brain function, and reasoning, because the reward system in crucial for survival it usually overrides reasoning, preventing the addict from making the better more reasonable choice. Addiction leads to overactivity in one area of the brain and inactivity of another part of the brain and that prevents adequate, reasoning and decision making. The good news is, researchers discovered with fMRI scans, that after year of abstinence, an addict's brain can return to normal functioning. However, intensive treatment is crucial in the beginning, until the brain can return to normal functioning. I know that was a lot of information but I hope it gave you a better understanding of addiction and what makes us feel good.

tough

This video is pretty technical, so its difficult for some people to understand. However there is a fun really cool video documentary on HBO about addiction and the affects it has on the brain. The best part is about how very special the younger brain is, because its affected very differently than the brain after we reach our mid 20's. Its worth checking out! There's a bunch of young people who are addicted and they talk about whats going on with them, right now. Its fun to watch, some of it may make you laugh.

It’s a chemical

The balls are dopamine.

Yup, good day to you too

Go to share and then click copy link

Its from the NIDA website but you can look up the format citing criteria for a website citation on you tube. I know there's an informational citation for the appropriate way to format website citation you tube video someone because I've had to use it. I googled it. Good luck!

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