• Test reports in the Field of Health, Fitness and Medicine
  • Data Protection
  • Impressum
  • Sitemap
  • Home
  • Uncategorized
  • Brain Changes Cause Drug Addiction, Researchers Say
  • 1. February 2021
  • 0 comments
  • Maria Bauer
  • Uncategorized

Brain Changes Cause Drug Addiction, Researchers Say

Drug addicts and their nonaddict siblings share the same brain abnormalities linked with poor self-control and drug dependence, a new study suggests.

Researchers looked at pairs of siblings and healthy, unrelated people, and compared their brain structures and their ability to control their impulses — which is known to be compromised among drug abusers.

They found that the addicts and their siblings shared similar abnormalities in the brain, while healthy participants did not have these abnormal traits. They also observed that the siblings performed poorly when it came to tests of their self-control.

Researchers have known that the brains of people addicted to drugs differ from those of others, but it has not been clear whether this is a cause or effect of addiction. The new study, because it shows that siblings who aren't addicted share brain abnormalities with addicts, suggests the brain differences are a cause of addiction, rather than an effect of drug use, the researchers said.

“There is a biological basis why people suffer from addiction,” said lead author Karen Ersche, a neuroscientist who researches addictive behavior at the University of Cambridge in England.

“This study suggests that some brains predispose people to become addicted, should they decide to use drugs,” Ersche said. “We need to find out how these nonaddicted siblings were able to resist using drugs.”

The study is published today (Feb. 2) in the journal Science.

Drug addiction, a disease of the brain

Every year, the abuse of illegal drugs and alcohol contributes to the death of more than 100,000 people in the U.S., according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

“Drug addiction is the disease of the brain,” Ersche said. “It's not a lifestyle choice. It falls in the same category as other psychiatric disorders that are serious and have a basis in the brain.”

Previous studies have shown that genes play a role in predisposing people to drug abuse.

“We know through twin studies, if one twin suffers from addiction, the identical twin has a 50:50 chance of also having an addiction,” said Dr. Andrew Saxon, an addiction psychiatrist at the University of Washington, who was not involved with the new study.

Why one sibling can become addicted to drugs while the other does not still remains unclear. But Saxon said people's life experiences and environment affect their choices, as well as their brain structures and genes..

“The experiences you have in life could change the structure of the brain, affecting them on a microscopic level,” he said.

Same brain abnormalities, different life experiences

Ersche and colleagues studied 50 pairs of siblings — one who had a history of drug addiction, and one who didn't — and compared them with 50 healthy people.

Researchers tested all participants' ability to control their impulses using a “stop-signal reaction time' test, which measures how quickly a person can switch from following one set of instructions to another.

They found that the siblings performed poorly on the test, compared with the other people.

Moreover, brain images revealed abnormalities shared by the siblings that weren’t found in the healthy people. These abnormalities included a decrease in the density of white matter in the front of the brain, which suggests a decrease in self-control, and an increase in gray matter in the middle regions of the brain, which suggests an increased ability to form habits, according to the study.

Saxon said the study provides strong evidence that the brains of drug abusers were different before they started taking drugs. But he also said more research is needed to understand how their siblings were able to resist using drugs.

“People who are addicted to drugs aren't bad people or weak-willed,” he said. “They have a disease in their brain that they were either born with or formed during early life that makes them susceptible to using substances in excess.”

Pass it on: Drug abusers and their siblings share a vulnerability to drug addiction.

Follow MyHealthNewsDaily on Twitter @MyHealth_MHND. Find us on Facebook.

  • Hypersex to Hoarding: 7 New Psychological Disorders
  • Reframing Alcoholism: Researcher Argues Against ‘Disease' Label
  • 6 Foods That Are Good for Your Brain
Maria-Cakehealth
Maria Bauer

Maria is our expert for medicine, fitness and general health. Her contributions are particularly convincing through completeness, accuracy and her own personal experience. Maria also writes for other health magazines, which has enabled her to build up her expert status.

Leave Comment

or cancel reply

Suche
Beliebte Beiträge
  • 7 Ways Alcohol Affects Your Health
    • 18. February 2021
    • 0
  • For Women, Sex May Be Improved by ‘Mindfulness Meditation’
    • 18. February 2021
    • 0
  • Autistic Brain Excels at Recognizing Patterns
    • 9. February 2021
    • 0
  • Swine Flu May Cause Baldness
    • 9. February 2021
    • 0
  • Dogs’ Contagious Cancer Cells May Survive By Theft
    • 9. February 2021
    • 0
  • Are You Sitting Down? If You’re a College Senior, Probably
    • 9. February 2021
    • 0
  • New Test May Screen Donated Blood for Fatal Disease-Causing Proteins
    • 9. February 2021
    • 0
  • Exercise Can’t Undo the Damage of Too Much Screen Time
    • 9. February 2021
    • 0
  • Melanoma Drug Shrinks Tumors, Study Finds
    • 9. February 2021
    • 0
  • Co-Conspirator Cells Contribute to Skin Cancer
    • 9. February 2021
    • 0
  • YouTube May Help Elderly Dementia Patients
    • 9. February 2021
    • 0
  • Brain Functioning Decline Higher in Southern ‘Stroke Belt’
    • 9. February 2021
    • 0
  • 8 Tips for Healthy Aging
    • 9. February 2021
    • 0
  • Alzheimer’s Vs. Normal Aging: How to Tell the Difference
    • 9. February 2021
    • 0
  • Soy Compounds May Cut Risk of Some Breast Cancers
    • 9. February 2021
    • 0
  • Estrogen May Curb Breast Cancer As Well As Promote It
    • 9. February 2021
    • 0
  • Flu Season Worse Than Usual
    • 9. February 2021
    • 0
  • Most Young Flu Victims Had Not Been Vaccinated, Fatality Report Says
    • 9. February 2021
    • 0
  • Indoor Tanners Use Beds Despite Boosting Skin Cancer Risk
    • 9. February 2021
    • 0
  • Gene Therapy May Ease Tremors in Parkinson’s Patients
    • 9. February 2021
    • 0
  • Alzheimer’s Often Misdiagnosed Until Later On
    • 9. February 2021
    • 0
  • In Trauma Patients, Steroids May Reduce Pneumonia Risk
    • 9. February 2021
    • 0
  • Will USDA’s New ‘Plate’ Icon Make a Difference in American Diets?
    • 9. February 2021
    • 0
  • Can Changing Your Diet Decrease Your Risk of Alzheimer’s?
    • 9. February 2021
    • 0
  • Preventive Measures Against Alzheimer’s Still Uncertain, Report Finds
    • 9. February 2021
    • 0
  • Exercise During Pregnancy Benefits Baby’s Heart
    • 9. February 2021
    • 0
  • Hypertension Death Rate Drops, But Fatalities Still High
    • 9. February 2021
    • 0
  • More Years of Schooling Have Healthful Effect on Blood Pressure
    • 9. February 2021
    • 0
  • Heavy Beer Drinkers Increase Their Gastric Cancer Risk
    • 9. February 2021
    • 0
  • Weight Gain: How Food Actually Puts on Pounds
    • 9. February 2021
    • 0
  • Want a Smaller Waist? Take More Breaks From Sitting
    • 9. February 2021
    • 0
  • New Rules on Vitamin D and Calcium: Most People Get Enough
    • 9. February 2021
    • 0
  • For Melanoma Patients, Arthritis Drug Could Treat Disease
    • 9. February 2021
    • 0
  • Brain Overgrowth in Tots Is Linked to Autism
    • 9. February 2021
    • 0
  • Airborne Mad Cow Disease Possible, But Unlikely
    • 9. February 2021
    • 0
  • Most High School Kids Don’t Get Enough Exercise, CDC Reports
    • 9. February 2021
    • 0
  • Is the 17 Day Diet Just Another Weight-Loss Gimmick?
    • 9. February 2021
    • 0
  • Lead Exposure May Delay Puberty in Girls
    • 9. February 2021
    • 0
  • The Healthy Geezer: Does Mercury Cause Cancer?
    • 9. February 2021
    • 0
  • 11% of Infants Born Preterm Worldwide
    • 9. February 2021
    • 0
  • Severe Morning Sickness Linked to Preterm Births
    • 9. February 2021
    • 0
  • More Money and No Dad Could Mean Early Puberty in Girls
    • 9. February 2021
    • 0
  • Too Little or Too Much Sleep May Raise Heart, Stroke Risks
    • 8. February 2021
    • 0
  • Relapse Common for Teens Who Overcome Depression
    • 8. February 2021
    • 0
  • Repeated Miscarriages May Increase Women’s Heart Attack Risk
    • 8. February 2021
    • 0
  • Earlier Detection of Dangerous Ectopic Pregnancies Possible with New Marker
    • 8. February 2021
    • 0
  • It’s in the Blood: New Hope for Detecting Schizophrenia
    • 8. February 2021
    • 0
  • Alcohol Abuse May Lead to Marriage Postponement, Separation
    • 8. February 2021
    • 0
  • Marriage Trouble Could Mean Poor Sleep for Baby
    • 8. February 2021
    • 0
  • Weight-Loss Surgery May Improve Memory
    • 8. February 2021
    • 0

Copyright © 2020 by cakehealth.com

Impressum|Data Protection | Sitemap EN|Sitemap DE