Kalivas and his colleagues are at the fore front of this research. Uncovering a biological basis for addiction could alter how society views drugh addicts. Gone would be the view of addicts as people who simply lack the fortitude to quit. Understanding how the brains of addicts change also could lead to the development of medications to treat or reverse those changes - and make today's behavioral therapy more effictive. To find out, he's delving into the brain that most mysterious human body part.
Addictions research provides a unique glimpse.
Unlike studying dreams, for instance, scientists can track drug molecules to see exactly what they do in the brain. In particular, drug abouse can show the effect environmental stimulation has on the brain. That's because addicts are driven to consume by cues in their world that trigger their cravings, things such as being places where they used drugs or seeing old drug-using friends. Give them cocaine and their brains receive a dopamine rush five to 10 times more than normal. It's at levels that can't be reached naturalig, Kalivas says.