Effect of addiction on the brain

[theoristo]

I would like to argue that addictions in general like smoking and more disgusting and funny like pornography addiction alter the brain deeply...and I would argue that it impairs our cognitive abilities...for short addictions makes you stupid...since we're all learners here ,what are your thoughts on the matter?

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

What makes you think these things? Do you have references?

I don't think many will argue that addiction alters the brain.

 

[Ryan_m_b]

"Addiction" is a catch-all term rather than one phenomenon. Addiction to nicotine is different to addiction to alcohol, opioid or more uncommon behaviours like eating household products (incidentally I've never heard of addiction to pornography, sex-addiction yes but not the former). Just being addicted to something isn't going to make you less intelligent unless whatever it is you are taking has long term effects on cognitive ability.

Do you have any references to back up your statement? I just did a brief search and found several papers examining the link between personality types and IQ to addictiveness but they were considering how likely an addiction was to occur based on those rather than IQ change due to addiction.

 

[theoristo]

I got alarmed about addiction to pornography by TED talk videos By Gary wilson(his site is a ''reliable'' reference) and Philip Zimbardo then I read many scientific papers on the subject ...for exemple the effect of porn on working ...and the effect of all addiction on the brain...I would recommend to you reading The Brain That Changes Itself by Norman Doidge.
P.S you can find peer reviewed paper links on Gary wilson 's site

 

[theoristo]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23167900

 

[theoristo]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2805560/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20047160

 

[Ryan_m_b]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23167900

Perhaps I'm missing something but this research does not address the long term effects of addiction, rather it showed that working memory was impaired in males who were asked to perform tasks whilst viewing pornagraphic pictures. That's not an unsurprising result but nice to have on paper I suppose, it doesn't address addiction nor argue that viewing of porn impairs working memory for a significant period of time. At the moment I'm also unsure as to what a "pictorial 4-back WM task" is as the methodology they use, I'd be interested to find out more.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2805560/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20047160

Yes the addiction cycle can impair behaviour and certain drugs have cognitive side effects but not every addiction is the same. More importanrlt your point was that addiction itself causes cognitive side effects but I'm not seeing anything that supports that statement

 

[theoristo]

Perhaps I'm missing something but this research does not address the long term effects of addiction, rather it showed that working memory was impaired in males who were asked to perform tasks whilst viewing pornagraphic pictures. That's not an unsurprising result but nice to have on paper I suppose, it doesn't address addiction nor argue that viewing of porn impairs working memory for a significant period of time. At the moment I'm also unsure as to what a "pictorial 4-back WM task" is as the methodology they use, I'd be interested to find out more.

Yes the addiction cycle can impair behaviour and certain drugs have cognitive side effects but not every addiction is the same. More importanrlt your point was that addiction itself causes cognitive side effects but I'm not seeing anything that supports that statement

for more insight you should definitely visit [unacceptable link removed] site it's definitely got all the info you want(peer reviewed researches) and you should also check the TED talk video I shared earlier.

 

[Ryan_m_b]

for more insight you should definitely visit [unacceptable link removed] site it's definitely got all the info you want(peer reviewed researches) and you should also check the TED talk video I shared earlier.

Sorry but the onus is on you to defend the statement you bought up. Rather than trying to link to non-peer reviewed talks and websites please post links to published papers on the topic. It doesn't matter if you come find links to these papers on the other sites but it means people don't have to jump through hopes trying to find information relevant to your original post and minimises traffic to non-credible sources.

 

[theoristo]

I'm very sorry ...I'm kind of tired today I don't have the energy to talk much ...and the talks are peer reviewed
here some papers :http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21117979#
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21948003#
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23408958#
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2653197/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22892351
http://www.crter.cn/Upload/Files/NewsAttatches/2025/2037-2041.-.20111029143458.pdf
http://www.hindawi.com/journals/bmri/2012/854524/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21117979#
http://www.akademiai.com/content/g7j56135805q197h/
compile those paper and give your opinion ...plus can you please take a look at the book The Brain That Changes Itself by Norman Doidge.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

I'm very sorry ...I'm kind of tired today I don't have the energy to talk much ...and the talks are peer reviewed
here some papers :http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21117979#
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21948003#
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23408958#
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2653197/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22892351
http://www.crter.cn/Upload/Files/NewsAttatches/2025/2037-2041.-.20111029143458.pdf
compile those paper and give your opinion ...plus can you please take a look at the book The Brain That Changes Itself by Norman Doidge.

theoristo, thanks, but I don't think most of us have time to read 6 papers. Is there something specifically interesting within those papers you want to discuss?

 

[theoristo]

For short addiction have deep consequances for the brain and it may or may not cause cognitive impairement...so it's very important for those who're studying or work some job that 's intellectually demanding.

 

[jackmell]

"Addiction" is a catch-all term rather than one phenomenon. Addiction to nicotine is different to addiction to alcohol, opioid or more uncommon behaviours like eating household products (incidentally I've never heard of addiction to pornography, sex-addiction yes but not the former).

I think addiction in general, both biochemical effects and human behavorial effects, all have at their root the reward system in the brain: behavior rewarded by release of brain chemicals to feel good.

Aren't all addictions similar in some ways? I wonder what an addiction specialist (yes, they have them), would say about this?

 

[Ryan_m_b]

I think addiction in general, both biochemical effects and human behavorial effects, all have at their root the reward system in the brain: behavior rewarded by release of brain chemicals to feel good.

Aren't all addictions similar in some ways? I wonder what an addiction specialist (yes, they have them), would say about this?

Yes you can simplify addiction to reward but that doesn't really get you anywhere does it? There are clearly big differences between a nicotine and a heroine addiction for example in terms of the effect they have on people. This is relevant to the thread.

 

[theoristo]

Here are two good definitions from wikipedia and psy today:
1.Addiction is a condition that results when a person ingests a substance (alcohol, cocaine, nicotine) or engages in an activity (gambling) that can be pleasurable but the continued use of which becomes compulsive and interferes with ordinary life responsibilities, such as work or relationships, or health. Users may not be aware that their behavior is out of control and causing problems for themselves and others.
2.Addiction is the continued use of a mood altering substance or behavior despite adverse consequences, or a neurological impairment leading to such behaviors.

 

[jackmell]

I thought this thread was about how addiction affects the brain. In that regards, I believe that should be best approached at the neurotransmitter level since changes in that system, such as a reduction in the number of receptors on the post synaptic neuron due to heavy use of a neurotransmitter-affecting substance such as cocaine, heroin, or amphetamine, would definitely qualify as a brain-changing phenomenon caused by addiction. Another such biochemical effect would be neurotoxicity due to continued release of neurotransmitters into the cytoplasm caused by such drugs as mentioned above.

Can we not associate a particular addiction behavior to some one or several biochemical paths in the brain? If so then those behaviors are caused by physiological events emerging in the nervous system as a consequence of addiction.

 

[Ryan_m_b]

I thought this thread was about how addiction affects the brain. In that regards, I believe that should be best approached at the neurotransmitter level

There is no need. The question was quite specific: does addiction (no specific addiction, just the phenomenon) have an effect on intelligence. The best thing to look at would be to directly look for examples whereby any addiction is shown to lower intelligence compared to pre-addiction levels. Looking at alterations to receptor activity would be more complicated and unlikely to get us the information the OP is looking for.

 

[jackmell]

I would like to argue that addictions in general like smoking and more disgusting and funny like pornography addiction alter the brain deeply...and I would argue that it impairs our cognitive abilities...for short addictions makes you stupid...since we're all learners here ,what are your thoughts on the matter?

Ryan, that was not my interpretation of the question. He said, "affects the brain deeply." However, if you guys wish to discuss how addiction affects intelligence only, my sincere apologies for interrupting.

 

[Ryan_m_b]

Ryan, that was not my interpretation of the question. He said, "affects the brain deeply." However, if you guys wish to discuss how addiction affects intelligence only, my sincere apologies for interrupting.

No need to apologise. This would be a good time for the OP to clarify but as I interpret it when he says "affect the brain deeply" he doesn't mean it literally in terms of physiology.

 

[theoristo]

Excuse my lack of clarity...Ryan_m_b is right I'm trying to discuss the effect of addiction on the intelligence ...but jackmell might be right since intelligence is not really understood ,anything that might affect the brain might affect intelligence.

 

[theoristo]

for exemples studies have shown that addictions can decrease gray matter in the frontal cortex and disorganize white matter,a measurable decline in dopamine signaling. Dopamine is central to concentration, focus, motivation and memory formation, and low dopamine signaling is strongly associated with poor working memory ,which is essential to learning.

 

[jackmell]

Excuse my lack of clarity...Ryan_m_b is right I'm trying to discuss the effect of addiction on the intelligence ...but jackmell might be right since intelligence is not really understood ,anything that might affect the brain might affect intelligence.

Ok look, if "intelligene is not really understood" as you say, then how can we have a scientific discussion about it? But no wait, that depends on what you mean by understood. I bet there are a bunch of things we DO know about intelligence. Maybe if you focus on those and then try to see how addiction affects those things. And I think I'm right: whatever those things are, they will have a neurochemical component.

 

[jackmell]

for exemples studies have shown that addictions can decrease gray matter in the frontal cortex and disorganize white matter,a measurable decline in dopamine signaling. Dopamine is central to concentration, focus, motivation and memory formation, and low dopamine signaling is strongly associated with poor working memory ,which is essential to learning.

How is it that addiction is associated with a measurable decline in dopamine signaling when very addictive substances such as cocaine and amphetamine increase dopamine concentrations in synapses between dopamine-sensitive neurons?

 

[theoristo]

Ok look, if "intelligene is not really understood" as you say, then how can we have a scientific discussion about it? But no wait, that depends on what you mean by understood. I bet there are a bunch of things we DO know about intelligence. Maybe if you focus on those and then try to see how addiction affects those things. And I think I'm right: whatever those things are, they will have a neurochemical component.

I totally agree with you here ...what I meant by ''not understood'' is that it we don't understand all the neurological and genetic factors that are at play...

 

[theoristo]

How is it that addiction is associated with a measurable decline in dopamine signaling when very addictive substances such as cocaine and amphetamine increase dopamine concentrations in synapses between dopamine-sensitive neurons?

here the paper I got it from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21499141
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3312312/?tool=pubmed

 

[theoristo]

and inattention which impairs memory is really caused by lack of motivation (reduced D2 dopamine receptors). Tasks seem boring or uninteresting. Decreased dopamine signaling in the brain's reward circuitry is a hallmark of all addictions... and you can see how that affect intelligence .
Papers:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2948245/?tool=pubmed
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2958516/

 

[theoristo]

I know I already said this but I would recommend to read The Brain That Changes Itself by psychiatrist Norman Doidge which discusses many aspects of neuroplasticity (which plays a great role in addiction).

 

[Evo]

Edit, nevermind, I missed later posts with links.

For instance

A study conducted at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory demonstrated that drug addicted individuals who have a certain genetic makeup have lower gray matter density — and therefore fewer neurons — in areas of the brain that are essential for decision-making, self-control, and learning and memory.

http://www.bnl.gov/newsroom/news.php?a=11242

Another interesting report.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/201...s-may-be-wired-at-birth-for-less-self-control

 

[jackmell]

How about then neuroplasticity? That's an interesting component of intelligence and it has of course a neural chemistry component as well: learning favors certain paths, these path are reinforced by the act of learning, the learning changes neural paths and the change is reflected in learning. Now, does addiction have any effect on neural plasticity? Or something else you're interested in.

 

[theoristo]

How about then neuroplasticity? That's an interesting component of intelligence and it has of course a neural chemistry component as well: learning favors certain paths, these path are reinforced by the act of learning, the learning changes neural paths and the change is reflected in learning. Now, does addiction have any effect on neural plasticity? Or something else you're interested in.

Addictions(especially behavioral ) plays right into neuroplasticity. ΔFosB is a main actor here
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC58680/?tool=pubmed
http://www.reuniting.info/download/pdf/Natural.and.Drug.Rewards.Nestler.Pitchers.2013.pdf

 

[theoristo]

the TEDtalk by Psychologist Philip Zimbardo asks, "Why are boys struggling?" He shares some stats (lower graduation rates, greater worries about intimacy and relationships) and suggests a few reasons -- and he asks for your help! Watch his talk and Gary wilson's too ,the admin said I can't post so go look for it on youtube.

 

[theoristo]

He talks about arousal addiction especially ...the title is the demise of guys.

 

[theoristo]

Edit, nevermind, I missed later posts with links.

For instance

http://www.bnl.gov/newsroom/news.php?a=11242

Another interesting report.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/201...s-may-be-wired-at-birth-for-less-self-control

here it is anyway http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23480966
http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0057831
http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0030253

 

[jackmell]

here the paper I got it from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21499141

Ok that about "reducing dopamine receptors" (probably on the post-synaptic neuron) and is a consequence (I believe documented) of excessive dopamine in the synapses: the body adjust to excessive levels by decreasing the number of receptors. I believe that's the case anyway. I did not read the paper.

 

[theoristo]

Ok that about "reducing dopamine receptors" (probably on the post-synaptic neuron) and is a consequence (I believe documented) of excessive dopamine in the synapses: the body adjust to excessive levels by decreasing the number of receptors. I believe that's the case anyway. I did not read the paper.

It's a study about the irregularities in the dopaminergic brain system associated with addiction.

 

[theoristo]

Here 's a newer study about the role of prefrontal cortex and the midbrain dopamine system.
http://www.pnas.org/content/109/49/19900.abstract?sid=0cf22931-de4d-4007-b02a-68bc54c4285d

 

[theoristo]

if you can't read all the study just read the abstract.

 

[Ryan_m_b]

Ok look, if "intelligene is not really understood" as you say, then how can we have a scientific discussion about it? But no wait, that depends on what you mean by understood. I bet there are a bunch of things we DO know about intelligence. Maybe if you focus on those and then try to see how addiction affects those things. And I think I'm right: whatever those things are, they will have a neurochemical component.

Yes of course there is a neurochemical component to intelligence but you can't examine it and link it directly to intelligence. The knowledge and technology just isn't there. It would be better to examine how people perform certain tasks like in the German paper on sexual images and working memory we discussed on the first page.