Neuroscience Addiction

From a renowned behavioral neuroscientist and recovering addict, a rare pause-resisting work of science that draws on personal insights to reveal how drugs work, the dangerous hold they can take on the brain, and the surprising way to combat today's epidemic of addiction. Judith Grisel was a daily drug user and college dropout when she began to consider that her addiction might have a cure, one that she herself could perhaps discover by studying the brain. Now, after 25 years as a neuroscientist, she shares what she and other scientists have learned about addiction.

This book is about pleasure. It’s also about pain. Most important, it’s about how to find the delicate balance between the two, and why now more than ever finding balance is essential. We’re living in a time of unprecedented access to high-reward, high-dopamine stimuli: drugs, food, news, gambling, shopping, gaming, texting, sexting, Facebooking, Instagramming, YouTubing, tweeting....

New hope for those suffering from conditions like depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, addictions, PTSD, ADHD, and more. Though incidence of these conditions is skyrocketing, for the past four decades standard treatment hasn’t much changed, and success rates in treating them have barely improved, either. Meanwhile, the stigma of the “mental illness” label - damaging and devastating on its own - can often prevent sufferers from getting the help they need. Brain specialist and best-selling author Dr. Daniel Amen aims to change all that.

Have you found yourself doing something and thinking, Why do I keep doing this? We all have an unhealthy habit - or two, or three. Yours may be as simple as wasting time on the Internet, constantly checking your email, or spending too much time in front of the TV. Or it may be more serious, like habitual drinking, emotional overeating, constant self-criticism, or chronic worrying. Whatever your harmful habit is - you have the power to break it.

Humans are often fearful of the day the world will be ruled by machines, but have they not already taken over? The average person spends 4-5 hours a day on their phone, about a third of the time they are awake. We self-interrupt our work and social lives, forgo sleep, procrastinate important tasks and opt for digital distraction when we're bored or feel uncomfortable. NHS neurology doctor and neuroscientist Faye Begeti describes what is happening in our brain when we use our phones and why we have formed so many fixed and negative habits around them.

Dopamine has been the topic of many debates and discussions among neuroscientists, clinicians, and analysts. It has been controversial and fascinating at the same time. Dopamine seems to give us motivation to succeed, to exercise, to seek rewards, to survive, and to procreate. It rewards us when we follow our instincts and can be the source of addictive behavior. People with ADHD have special challenges regarding dopamine fluctuation. Thus, regulating dopamine levels is crucial to satisfaction and happiness in life. Learn more about how to do this through this guide!

To understand something, you need to know its history. Right? Wrong, says Alex Rosenberg in How History Gets Things Wrong. Feeling especially well-informed after reading a book of popular history on the best-seller list? Don't. Narrative history is always, always wrong. It not just incomplete or inaccurate but deeply wrong, as wrong as Ptolemaic astronomy. We no longer believe that the earth is the center of the universe. Why do we still believe in historical narrative? Our attachment to history as a vehicle for understanding has a long Darwinian pedigree and a genetic basis.

Why are some people compelled to take big risks on big ideas, attempting to change a market or, indeed, the world in ways that others find delusional? And why do they keep trying, again and again, often after repeated failures and at great personal expense? Neil Seeman is one of those people: an internet entrepreneur steeped in North American start-up culture. He is also the son of one of Canada's most important brain scientists.

Neuroscience confirms that communication and emotional attachments can change opinions and behaviors. Explaining the link between the human brain and conduct has always been one of the most interesting and challenging aspects of scientific studies. The sequencing of genes, and development in molecular biology, have illuminated the cause and cure of many neurological diseases and us the knowledge of how the brain controls behavior.

With this practical guide, we explore the miracle of recovery from dependency and provide insight into the addiction phenomena. Steering away from a one-dimensional approach, addiction is recognized as a multi-dimensional problem that requires examination of the mind, body, and social aspects of our existence. I provide practical advice on how to return your identity’s locus of control to where it is supposed to be, and that is, with "you". Your sense of identity may indeed become lost with addiction and it needs to be found again and actively reclaimed.

La dopamina ha sido el tema de muchos debates y discusiones entre neurocientíficos, médicos y analistas. Ha sido controvertido y fascinante al mismo tiempo. La dopamina parece darnos motivación para tener éxito, hacer ejercicio, buscar recompensas, sobrevivir y procrear. Nos recompensa cuando seguimos nuestros instintos y puede ser la fuente de un comportamiento adictivo. Las personas con TDAH tienen desafíos especiales con respecto a la fluctuación de la dopamina y parecen sufrir con frecuencia una deficiencia o una sobredosis.