Discovering the neural mechanisms that underlie the behaviours of addiction; how drugs and activities like gambling can hijack the brain and lead to behavioural problems; understanding addiction can motivate an addict to seek treatment.
EPISODE 1
Addiction 101
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.
EPISODE 2
The Psychology and Neuroscience of Reward
Explore the brain's mechanisms for learning from reinforcement. You'll start with the psychological aspects, discovering the way humans learn by a series of trials and rewards. Then you'll find out what parts of the brain process pleasure, self-control, and craving, and see how the psychology and neuroscience of reward processing converge.
EPISODE 3
How Addiction Hijacks the Brain
Here you'll examine the ways addiction alters the brain by numbing the pleasure center, sensitizing the dopamine system, and inhibiting the prefrontal cortex. Combined, these altered brain functions lead to strong cravings and a reduced ability to control one's actions. This foray into neuroscience will forever change the way you think about addiction.
EPISODE 4
Genetics - Born to Be an Addict?
Investigate how people may be susceptible to addiction on a genetic level. Thanks to studies of twins and DNA analysis, scientists are homing in on the genes that predispose us toward addiction. While there is no single "addiction gene," our DNA can significantly influence whether we become addicts.
EPISODE 5
Your Brain on Drugs
Shift your attention from the nature of addiction to the nature of drugs. Here you'll delve into the process of neurochemical transmission and see how drugs mimic this activity by binding to neural receptors. This process is responsible for everything from a drug's physical and psychological effects to its potency.
EPISODE 6
Why We Crave Coffee and Cigarettes
Caffeine and nicotine are two of the most common psychoactive drugs in our society. How do they work? How dangerous are they? After reviewing how each of these drugs affects the brain - and why nicotine in particular is so addictive - Professor Polk offers several strategies to quit tobacco use.
Thad A. Polk
