Addiction
Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 7, 2026

Comprehensive Analysis of Transcription Dynamics from Brain Samples Following Behavioral Experience
Published on: August 26, 2014
Jodie Naim-Feil1, Abraham Zangen
1Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, Prahran, Victoria, Australia; Monash University, School of Psychology and Psychiatry, Clayton, Victoria, Australia.
Abstract:
Drug and alcohol addiction is a debilitating disorder characterized by persistent drug-seeking behaviors despite negative physiological, medical, or social consequences. Neurobiological models of addiction propose that the reinforcing effects of addictive drugs are associated with altered neurotransmission within the reward 'mesocorticolimbic' circuitry in the brain. Immense efforts are therefore designed to target the mesocorticolimbic circuitry in attenuating drug dependence and addiction-related behaviors. Yet, to date, most addiction treatments have demonstrated only limited success in reducing addiction-related behaviors. Accumulating and compelling evidence suggests that novel nonsurgical brain stimulation techniques, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation and transcranial direct current stimulation, could serve as promising tools for indexing altered neurotransmission associated with repetitive drug use, and moreover, may hold therapeutic potential for the treatment of drug dependence and addiction-related behaviors. This chapter reviews and discusses the current and potential applications of such techniques in the study and treatment of addiction; we focus on a number of common drugs of abuse, including nicotine, alcohol, cocaine, cannabis, and ecstasy.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Drug Abuse and Addiction: Pharmacological Phenomena
Drug Dependence
Substance Use Disorders Affecting Sleep
Understanding the concepts of physical dependence,...
Desensitization and Tachyphylaxis
Stimulants
Cocaine can be administered via snorting, injection, or smoking. It primarily functions by blocking the reuptake of dopamine, resulting in a euphoric high characterized by an intense sensation of happiness and...
CNS Depressants: Alcohol and Nicotine

