About the episode
Drugs like morphine and cocaine do crazy things to the reward system in our body. We want more and more of it, which can even overshadow our need to eat and drink.
At the same time, we have known for some time that satisfying the need for food, sex, social interaction, but also these drugs activate the same brain area.
This brain area works closely with chemicals such as dopamine and serotonin to make animals and people want more of what makes them feel good.
What we did not know yet, but has now been discovered, is that addictive drugs influence brain activity in this area slightly differently.
They discovered this through research in mice, where the signals between neurons were studied in real time in this difficult-to-measure and deep part of the brain.
The drugs appear to hijack a molecular network that plays an important role in the process by which neurons learn. Probably disrupting the way neurons communicate and remember.
That could explain why the mice, but also people with a serious addiction, almost completely forget to eat and drink.
Read more about the research here: Newly discovered brain pathway sheds light on addiction
