It is frequently said that addiction occurs when drugs “hijack” the brain. It’s hard to nail down what that means, but it does rightly suggest that there is an involuntary takeover of the brain that ...

Within the brain, chemical neurotransmitters like dopamine and norepinephrine regulate mood, emotions and many physiological and behavioral processes. Their imbalance can contribute to anxiety, ...

Alcohol and other drugs can overpower the reward pathways of the brain. Simona Dumitru/Moment via Getty Images Many people are wired to seek and respond to rewards. Your brain interprets food as ...

“I don’t understand why he just can’t stop abusing alcohol.” Turns out that addiction is a whole lot more complicated than just saying “no.” Although the stigma of addiction as a moral failing ...

Scientists have found that the process of adaptive myelination, which helps the brain learn new skills, can also promote addiction to opioids. Our brains, even in adulthood, continually adapt to what ...

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD), a leading cause of neurodevelopmental disorders, may affect as many as 1 in 20 ...

Addiction is not simply a chronic brain disease and considering it as such can limit treatment options and increase stigma, an extensive research review suggests. After decades of research, Professor ...

People suffering from severe alcohol and opioid addiction are to be offered a revolutionary new technique involving planting electrodes in the brain to modulate brain activity and cravings and improve ...

A new brain imaging study suggests that people who report symptoms of addiction to short-form video platforms—such as TikTok or Instagram Reels—may be less sensitive to financial losses and make ...