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Is marijuana addictive? You can bet your heroin on that!
“Is marijuana addictive?” seems to be the ultimate question for many people. In fact, when discussing addiction, it is rare that the addiction potential for marijuana doesn’t come up. Some basic points about marijuana: The active ingredient in marijuana, THC, binds to cannabinoid receptors in the brain (CB1 and CB2). Since it is a partial…
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Choice and control in addiction – Genetics and neuroscience of drug abuse
Dr. Jaffe recently gave an online lecture (webinar) for HealthCentral on the processes involved in choice and control of behavior during addiction and drug abuse. We’ve written quite a bit on here about the neuroscience of impulsivity issues and the genetic predisposition to addiction and this talk really covers some of the most important aspects…
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Addicts’ brains depressed but normal users… normal.
A paper that’s about to be published in the journal Science has found at least part of the difference between the brains of addicted individuals and those that use recreationally. The question as to why only some people get addicted to drugs has been a difficult one to answer. Still, there’s no doubt that only…
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Know before you speak – Why etiquette is important
You know, I try to write this blog from a completely objective point of you, but guess what – I’m a person, so things take on a personal tone once in a while. There’s nothing I hate more than readers who come to this site, read a single post, and then decide they know who…
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The misunderstanding of addiction neuroscience
I just read a comment on another blogger’s post about the neuroscience of sex addiction. The commenter just couldn’t understand why an addict’s behavior could be rationalized by neuroscience when so many other people have little problem, even when exposed to sex, drugs, or whatnot. It seems simple to me, but I’ve been doing research…
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Neuroscience updates!!!
Hey readers! We’ve just passed the 6000 visitor mark and our readership is growing steadily. I want to thank everyone who regularly check the site and welcome those of you who are here for the first time. I’m in DC right now, attending the annual meeting of the Society For Neuroscience (sfn.org). I have been…