https://nida.nih.gov/publications/drugs-brains-behavior-science-addiction/drugs-brain
The basal ganglia, which play an important role in positive forms of motivation, including the pleasurable effects of healthy activities like eating, socializing, and sex, and are also involved in the formation of habits and routines.These areas form a key node of what is sometimes called the brain's "reward circuit." Drugs over-activate this circuit, producing the euphoria of the drug high.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK576548/
The immediate psychological effects of stimulant administration include a heightened sense of well-being, euphoria, excitement, and alertness, and increases in motor activity, similar to what would be seen in a manic state. Stimulants also reduce appetite and may result in insomnia. Stimulants may also enhance focus and libido (Volkow et al

https://nida.nih.gov/sites/default/files/soa_2014.pdf
s Revolutionized the Understanding of Drug AddictionFor much of the past century, scientists studying drug abuse labored in the shadows of powerful my. hs and misconceptions about the nature of addiction. When scientists began to study addictive behavior in the 1930s, people addicted to drugs were t. ought to be morally flawed and lacking in

https://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.ajp.2018.17101174
Addiction, the most severe form of substance use disorder, is a chronic brain disorder molded by strong biosocial factors that has devastating consequences to individuals and to society. Our understanding of substance use disorder has advanced significantly over the last 3 decades in part due to major progress in genetics and neuroscience research and to the development of new technologies

https://neurosciencenews.com/reward-system-drugs-mtorc1-25948/
Key Facts: The study identifies specific neurons in the nucleus accumbens that are affected by both natural rewards and drugs, explaining the mechanism behind the powerful grip of addiction. Advanced tools allowed researchers to observe how repeated drug exposure alters neuronal responses, increasing the preference for drugs over natural rewards.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3056348/
The Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) is a national survey of non-federal short-stay hospitals with 24 hour emergency departments (ED) of patient visits associated with drug misuse or abuse; DAWN has a separate survey of medical examiner data on mortality related to illegal drug use. According to the 2006 DAWN survey, one in three (31%) of all

https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/how-an-addicted-brain-works
One of the most primitive parts of the brain, the reward system, developed as a way to reinforce behaviors we need to survive—such as eating. When we eat foods, the reward pathways activate a chemical called dopamine, which, in turn, releases a jolt of satisfaction. This encourages you to eat again in the future.

https://safespace.org/drugs-brains-and-behavior-the-science-of-addiction/
Teens who use drugs may act out and may do poorly in school or drop out. 6 Using drugs when the brain is still developing may cause lasting brain changes and put the user at increased risk of dependence. 7. Adults who use drugs can have problems thinking clearly, remembering, and paying attention.

https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/addiction-science
About Addiction Science. Many people don't understand why or how other people become addicted to drugs. They may mistakenly think that those who use drugs lack moral principles or willpower and that they could stop their drug use simply by choosing to. In reality, drug addiction is a complex disease, and quitting usually takes more than good

https://addictioneducationsociety.org/brain-addiction-facts/
The brain stem is in charge of all the functions our body needs to stay alive—breathing, moving blood, and digesting food. It also links the brain with the spinal cord, which runs down the back and moves muscles and limbs as well as lets the brain know what's happening to the body. The limbic system links together a bunch of brain

https://focus.psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/appi.focus.130302
Of the test results that came back positive, stimulants were the second most commonly identified sanctioned substance at 10% (behind anabolic agents at 63%) . Similarly, a National Collegiate Athletic Association survey of 13,914 collegiate-level athletes from 27 men's and women's sports reported a mean amphetamine use of 3.1% ( 13 ).

https://www.recoveryanswers.org/recovery-101/brain-in-recovery/
The neuroscience of addiction recovery is an exciting and emerging area of research. There is evidence that the brain does recover over time; this image below shows the brain of a healthy control on the left, and a patient in recovery from methamphetamine use disorder on the right. After one month of abstinence, the patient's brain is clearly

https://www.yalemedicine.org/conditions/stimulant-abuse
Addictive Behavior, Alcohol Addiction, Mental Health & Behavioral Research. Prazosin for Alcohol Use Disorder. Ages18 years - 70 years. GenderBoth. Addictive Behavior, Alcohol Addiction, Mental Health & Behavioral Research. Behavioral and Neurochemical Mechanisms Underlying Stress-Precipitated Drinking. Ages21 years - 55 years.

https://www.psypost.org/decoding-addiction-study-identifies-brain-circuits-impacted-by-dopamine-surges/
This finding suggests that the interaction between these specific brain regions plays a key role in the subjective experience of drug reward. "There is one circuit in the brain-the salience network — that appears to become activated only during fast (and not slow) dopamine increases," Manza told PsyPost. "This network might be crucial

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/dopamine-fasting-misunderstanding-science-spawns-a-maladaptive-fad-2020022618917
Dopamine fasting: Misunderstanding science spawns a maladaptive fad. The dopamine fast, created by California psychiatrist Dr. Cameron Sepah, has very little to do with either fasting or dopamine. As Sepah told the New York Times, "Dopamine is just a mechanism that explains how addictions can become reinforced, and makes for a catchy title.

https://www.brainfacts.org/Diseases-and-Disorders/Addiction/2012/Psychostimulants
Typically, the effects are short-lived, prompting repeated use and physical harm to various organs, including the heart. Meth in particular is quite destructive to the brain itself, as it generates harmful substances called free radicals that destroy dopamine neurons. In the brain, psychostimulants work by flooding the brain's reward system

https://www.hopkinsguides.com/hopkins/view/Johns_Hopkins_Psychiatry_Guide/787103/all/Stimulant_Related_Disorders
DEFINITION. The nonmedical use or abuse of, or dependence on, psychostimulants including: Amphetamines were first used as a nasal decongestant and then by the U.S. military to improve alertness in troops. In the 1950s, they gained popularity as weight-loss drugs (i.e., ephedra, ma huang) and became drugs of abuse.

https://www.naatp.org/addiction-treatment-resources/understanding-addiction
Addiction is the psychological condition that describes the compulsion to engage in drug use and harmful substance use behaviors at the expense of known health, relationship, or legal consequences. Because of the impact of addictive drugs on the brain's circuitry, individuals in recovery from drug or alcohol addiction may relapse at any time.

https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/articles/2024/06/18/a-decades-old-treatment-can-reduce-stimulant-use-and-overdose-deaths
Rawson: The stimulant problem in the U.S. is substantially contributing to overdose deaths.A recent study shows that in 2019, over 45% of drug overdose deaths involved cocaine or methamphetamine. Some of the individuals probably died from fentanyl mixed into the drug supply—they bought cocaine laced with fentanyl, for example, but their primary drug of interest was the stimulant.

https://health.choc.org/stimulants-abuse-in-teens/
The Science Behind Stimulants. As the name suggests, prescription stimulants increase biochemical activity in the brain that can help boost alertness, attention and energy. The most common prescription stimulants are Adderall, Ritalin and Concerta. ADHD is one of the most commonly diagnosed conditions in children and adolescents.

https://drugabuse.com/featured/the-science-behind-addiction/
The Science Behind Addiction. Throughout human evolution, activities that brought a release of dopamine were the ones that also kept us alive or contributed to reproduction, but now addictive drugs have the power to hijack the brain's natural dopamine balance. Take a look at how synapses in the nervous system respond to different classes of

https://nida.nih.gov/stimulants
Educate patient on risks associated with using stimulants with heroin or combining stimulants with alcohol or other drugs. Advise not to use drugs and drive. Arrange follow-up. Patients with this result are at high risk for adverse outcomes related to prescription stimulant use (for example: methylphenidate) and are likely to meet DSM-5

https://www.ablechild.org/the-history-and-science-of-stimulant-drugs/
The stimulant drugs have a long and colorful history, of which their use in children is only the latest chapter. The oldest of the major stimulants is cocaine, which is found naturally in the coca plant in South America. For thousands of years, the Inca and other natives chewed coca leaves in the belief that doing so gave them heightened

https://www.rehabcenter.net/the-science-behind-drug-abuse-and-addiction/
Addiction affects a person's body and mind, changing chemicals in the brain, altering emotions, health, and a slew of other functions. Much like a cancer, its presence in the body eats away at one's life and can go into remission, but is ultimately incurable. Drug abuse and addiction can start early in life with the added influences of

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/06/27/biden-trump-presidential-debate-fact-check/74160563007/
Trump and Biden strayed from reality on many topics, including the border, drugs, immigrant crime, Roe v. Wade, food prices and Trump indictments