Dopamine effects and addiction

June 22, 2017

Dopamine effects and addiction are very active in the brain malfunctions

Dopamine effects and addiction: The brain

Dopamine is an inhibitory neurotransmitter, meaning that when it finds its way to its receptor sites, it blocks the tendency of that neuron to fire. We have noted that it’s associated with reward mechanisms in the brain. That aside, speaking to doctor Dalal Akoury MD, President, and founder of AWAREmed health center, new research on the brain is showing that addiction is a matter of memories, and recovery is a slow process in which the influence of those memories is diminished. That notwithstanding, further studies have also shown that addictive drugs stimulate a reward circuit in the brain. The circuit provides incentives for action by registering the value of important experiences. Rewarding experiences trigger the release of the brain chemical dopamine effects, telling the brain “do it again.” What makes permanent recovery difficult is the drug-induced change that creates lasting memories linking the drug to a pleasurable reward.

Dopamine effects and addiction: Brain circuits

Addiction involves many of the same brain circuits that govern learning and memory. Long-term memories are formed by the activity of brain substances called transcription factors. All perceived rewards, including drugs, increase the concentration of transcription factors. So repeatedly taking drugs can change the brain cells and make the memory of the pleasurable effects very strong. Even after transcription factor levels return to normal, addicts may remain hypersensitive to the drug and the cues that predict its presence. This can heighten the risk of relapse in addicts long after they stop taking the drug.

Knowing more about how addiction works in the brain has not yet given us any effective new treatments, but it has suggested new possibilities while providing a better understanding of how the available treatments work. The hardest job will be finding substances that lower the risk of addiction but do not interfere with responses to natural rewards. So far there is little evidence that any one type of therapy works better for addiction than another.

Dopamine effects and addiction: Brain Chemistry

It has been demonstrated times and again that drug addiction is a powerful force that can take control of the lives of users. In the past, addiction was thought to be a weakness of character or just misbehavior, but in recent decades research has increasingly found that addiction to drugs like cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine is a matter of brain chemistry.

Experts at the National Institute on Drug Abuse, says that the way a brain becomes addicted to a drug is related to how a drug increases levels of the naturally-occurring neurotransmitter dopamine, which modulates the brain’s ability to perceive reward reinforcement. The pleasure sensation that the brain gets when dopamine levels are elevated creates the motivation for us to proactively perform actions that are indispensable to our survival for example eating or procreation. Dopamine is what conditions us to do the things we need to do. Having understood the power of addiction and what it can do to your health, it would be unwise to let drugs bring you down because of ignorance. Doctor Dalal Akoury founded this facility to help you have your life back and live it to the fullest. Waste no time and schedule an appointment with today for the commencement of your recovery process.

Dopamine effects and addiction: The brain

How-Drug-Addiction-Affects-Serotonin-And-Dopamine

Neurotransmitter role in drug addiction

May 19, 2017

Neurotransmitter role in drug addiction. Movement, cognition, pleasure and motivation are some of the roles played by dopamine

Neurotransmitter role in drug addiction: The rewards that trigger release of dopamine

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter in the brain that plays vital roles in different behaviors. The major behaviors dopamine affects are movement, cognition, pleasure, and motivation. Dopamine is an essential component of the basal ganglia motor loop, as well as the neurotransmitter responsible for controlling the exchange of information from one brain area to another. However, it is the role that dopamine plays in pleasure and motivation that attracts the most neurobiologists attention. That is why our discussion is focusing on dopamine the neurotransmitter role in drug addiction. However, for a better understanding of this topic, we are going to be relying on the expert opinion of doctor Dalal Akoury (MD) President and founder of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center as well as Integrative Advanced Medicine Institute (IAM Institute). The former is for treatment while the latter is tailored for training and equipping professionals in healthcare to offer an alternative treatment to their patients.

Did you know that in certain areas of the brain when dopamine is released, it gives one the feeling of pleasure or satisfaction? These feelings of satisfaction become desired causing the individual to grow a desire for the satisfaction. And satisfying that desire will necessitate the repeat behaviors causing the release of dopamine. For example food and sex release dopamine. That is why people want food even though their body does not need it and why people sometimes need sex. These two behaviors scientifically make sense since the body needs food to survive, and humans need to have sex to allow the race to survive. However, other, less natural behaviors have the same effect on one’s dopamine levels, and at times can even be more powerful.

Neurotransmitter role in drug addiction: Cocaine

Cocaine is by far more addictive than other substances. Cocaine chemically inhibits the natural dopamine cycle. Normally, after dopamine is released, it is recycled back into a dopamine transmitting neuron. However, cocaine binds to the dopamine and does not allow it to be recycled. Thus there is a buildup of dopamine, and it floods certain neural areas. The flood ends after about 30 minutes, and the person is left yearning to feel as he or she once did. That is how the addiction begins and with time adaptation builds up since the person is consistently behaving in the same way.

Many studies have been done targeting neural response to rewards. It was established that when one performed an action repeatedly and is given a reward randomly, the dopamine levels rises. If the reward is administered for example every four times the action was performed, the dopamine levels remained constant. Whereas when no reward is given dopamine levels dropped. These random rewards can be seen in gambling and since the outcome is based on chance, one may not know prior if he or she will win. Therefore, if he or she wins, dopamine levels increases. However, unlike cocaine, gambling causes addiction in relatively low levels of participants. This is because Cocaine’s chemical input is influential on dopamine levels than gambling’s behavioral input meaning that only people whose dopamine levels are low become addicted to gambling. This may sound technical and complicated, but a phone call to doctor Akoury will make it much easier for you if only you can schedule an appointment today.

Neurotransmitter role in drug addiction: The rewards that trigger release of dopamine

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Addiction withdrawal hostile feelings

May 18, 2017

Addiction withdrawal hostile feelings is a big concern for many drug users willing to make a change

Addiction withdrawal hostile feelings: Excessive units of dopamine

During the treatment of substance abuse, there is no doubt that this process will be met with some challenges thereby necessitating addiction withdrawal hostile feelings along the way. The most unpleasant withdrawal feelings are connected with abrupt fall of the content of neurotransmitters in the brain. For example, the dopamine content due to a severe lack of transmitters can’t be utilized in time and may exceed the normal level a few times. The excessive amount of dopamine is a real poison to the brain. Drug withdrawal and in particular the opiate withdrawal can be very disruptive irrespective of whether the effect is mental or physical. It may last from few days to a few weeks. You can get more information about opiate (Heroin, Methadone) withdrawal by scheduling an appointment with doctor Dalal Akoury MD today and she will be more than willing to help you find answers to all your questions today.

It is further important to note that during withdrawal some time will lapse and within a few days the level of neurotransmitters will gradually return to normal even though this may not be completely done, but all the same the symptoms of drug withdrawal subsides. Besides that, another danger will come in handy waiting for the patient. This is commonly known as “dry withdrawal”. After some time, when seemingly all is over, sometimes without any reason, but mostly after the stress, the balance of neurotransmitters breaks down again. At this point, the patient starts re-experiencing some mental discomfort, nervousness, sleep disorders, hot-and-cold flashes and aggravated attraction to drugs.

Addiction withdrawal hostile feelings: Drug addiction fluctuation courses

Drug addiction, like many other chronic diseases, is characterized by fluctuating course, with alternate “ups and downs”. Most of the failures happen exactly on the peaks of these “ups”. That is why all drugs have the toxic effects and damages the body’s cells. This damage causes some element of pain in an individual and to fight this pain the victim will have to take more drugs further causing addiction to that substance and the situation to becomes a vicious circle: that is to say, the higher dose of drugs the more pain they cause, the more pain the more need to take the higher dose. As a result, the euphoric effect of the drugs, which was so attractive at the beginning, quickly disappears and leaves an addict to continue taking the drug just to avoid the pain and let him somehow to function “normally”.

Finally, from the discussion, we have seen that drug addiction is a very complex disease, which is fixed at many levels of the organism. Simple and quick methods, such as coding or isolated psychotherapy are absolutely inactive. To this doctor, Akoury says that professionally drug addiction requires a serious multi-stage treatment at all levels and that will be very helpful in correcting the brain damage from drug abuse effectively.

Addiction withdrawal hostile feelings: Excessive units of dopamine

http://www.awaremednetwork.com/

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