The Addictive Brain

Defining addiction, which is diagnosed based on various characteristics; Professor Polk surveys the history of drug use; reviewing government regulation; the substantial costs of drug abuse, both to the individual and to society.

Exploring the brain's mechanisms for learning from reinforcement; starting with the psychological aspects; what parts of the brain process pleasure, self-control and craving; how the psychology and neuroscience of reward processing converge.

The ways addiction alters the brain by numbing the pleasure center, sensitizing the dopamine system and inhibiting the prefrontal cortex; this leads to strong cravings and a reduced ability to control one's actions; a foray into neuroscience.

How people may be susceptible to addiction on a genetic level; scientists are homing in on the genes that predispose people toward addiction; while there is no single "addiction gene", DNA can significantly influence whether one becomes an addict.

Switching to the nature of drugs; delving into the process of neurochemical transmission; how drugs mimic this activity by binding to neural receptors; this process is responsible for everything from a drug's effects to its potency.

Caffeine and nicotine are two of the most common psychoactive drugs in society; reviewing how each of these drugs affects the brain; why nicotine, in particular, is so addictive; Professor Polk offers several strategies to quit tobacco use.