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 ...

With the recent rise in opioid abuse and overdose, which has quickly become a national health epidemic, scientists are focused increasingly on understanding the science behind addiction and its effect ...

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 ...

Figure 1: Drug addiction as a disease of the brain. Chronic exposure to drugs of abuse is required for drug addiction, and its expression involves complex interactions between biological and ...

We're learning more about the craving that fuels self-defeating habits—and how new discoveries can help us kick the habit. Addiction hijacks the brain’s neural pathways. Scientists are ...

Opioid addiction doesn’t just take a toll on the body—it reshapes the brain itself. A new study reveals that opioid use disorder (OUD) causes structural and functional changes in key areas of ...

As a behavioral neurogeneticist leading a team investigating the molecular mechanisms of addiction, I combine neuroscience with genetics to understand how alcohol and drugs influence the brain.

What Is the Medical Definition of Addiction? The American Society of Addiction Medicine describes addiction as "a primary, chronic disease of brain reward, motivation, memory and related circuitry." ...

Addiction can also result in death. There are many drugs which we know can be addictive. Some, like alcohol and heroin, can cause a physical dependence where the brain and the body move from ...