Adicction and Decision Making: a brainy view.

 Why is this interesting?

To answer questions such as how can we understand addictions within our brains? Why are people more affected than others?


Is Decision Making relating to Drug addiction?


In Bechara 2005 the following similarities between pathing with VMPC (see below, related to the decision making areas of the brain) damage and drug addicts are pointed out: often deny, or not aware, that they have a problem. When faced with a choice that brings immediate reward, even at the risk of incurring future negative outcomes, including loss of reputation, job, and family, they appear oblivious to the consequences of their actions.


The above points out that there are similarities. How could define willpower in term of geography in the brain?


Willpower as proposed on Bechara 2005: “... willpower emergers from the dynamic interaction of two separate, but interacting, neural systems: and impulsive system, in which the amygdala is a critical neural structure involved in triggering the affective/emotional signals of immediate outcomes, and a reflective system, in which the VMPC is a critical neural structure involved in triggering the affective/emotional signals of long-term outcomes” as in Fig 1.

From Bechara 2005


According to the above drug use could be included as a decision considered by our brand is “willpower system”. Particularly for the cases in which we need to do something after a worrying situation. There are different scenarios that could affect prognosis:

  • Patients with anomalies in VMPC may have further difficulties understanding the consequences in the future and prefer pleasure in the present. These patients may have harder recovery from addictions.

  • In contrast the groups with normal VMPC may be able to understand better the drug used future consequences and go in line with functional addictions.


Does this explain all cases?

No. There are people which appears to be “functional addicts” this is that they are addicts but they do not reach such a point of self-harm that come function in our current society (for instance, they keep their jobs or 



What about age?

After previous points looks like addiction to drugs maybe (in same cases) explained as a problem with the decision making systems which is not fully develop until the age of 21, meaning that if there are cases of use in which this systems is not present addiction could be more difficult to control.


Vocabulary:


VMPC  Ventral Medial Prefrontal Cortex and the medial sector of the orbitofrontal cortex, thus encompassing Brodmann’s areas (BA) 25, lower 24, 32 and medial aspect of 11, 12 and 10.


References 

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