title: Addiction circuitry in the human brain.
abstract: A major challenge in understanding substance-use disorders lies in uncovering why some individuals become addicted when exposed to drugs, whereas others do not. Although genetic, developmental, and environmental factors are recognized as major contributors to a person's risk of becoming addicted, the neurobiological processes that underlie this vulnerability are still poorly understood. Imaging studies suggest that individual variations in key dopamine-modulated brain circuits, including circuits involved in reward, memory, executive function, and motivation, contribute to some of the differences in addiction vulnerability. A better understanding of the main circuits affected by chronic drug use and the influence of social stressors, developmental trajectories, and genetic background on these circuits is bound to lead to a better understanding of addiction and to more effective strategies for the prevention and treatment of substance-use disorders.
authors.affiliation: National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA. nvolkow@nida.nih.gov
authors.forename: Nora D
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Volkow
authors.forename: Gene-Jack
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Joanna S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Fowler
authors.forename: Dardo
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tomasi
mesh_terms: D000339:Affect / Q000187:drug effects; D016739:Behavior, Addictive / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism; D056344:Executive Function / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008568:Memory; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders
chemical_list: D004298:Dopamine