Neurotransmitters as the chemical messengers in your brain, facilitate communication between nerve cells, also known as neurons. They transmit signals across synapses, tiny gaps between neurons. This transmission allows your brain to control various functions, including mood, behaviour and even addiction.

Substances that people become addicted to are very different from one another but they all have a common effect: they can change how the brain’s reward system works. This reward system is crucial for survival, encouraging essential behaviors like eating and reproduction. Researchers discovered this when they found that rats would repeatedly press a lever to get electrical stimulation in certain brain areas, highlighting specific pathways involved in feeling rewards. One key pathway identified connects two parts of the brain, the ventral tegmental area (VTA) to the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) and is essential for the feelings of pleasure and motivation.

This reward system includes several neurotransmitters like dopamine, which plays a significant role in how we experience pleasure from natural rewards like food and sex, as well as from drugs. Drugs hijack this system, either by directly affecting dopamine levels or by influencing other neurotransmitters that regulate this pathway, such as GABA, opioids and serotonin. This interaction ensures that actions necessary for survival are prioritised but when drugs of abuse manipulate this system, it can lead to addiction. This understanding of the brain’s reward circuit helps explain why addictive substances can be so powerful and difficult to resist.

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that plays a crucial role in addiction. It is well-known for its connection to the feelings of pleasure and reward that come from various activities, including eating, exercising and drug use. Dopamine’s release during these activities reinforces them making them more likely to be repeated. In the context of addiction, this system can become hijacked, leading to excessive dopamine release. This causes a powerful urge to use drugs repeatedly, contributing to the cycle of addiction.

Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers that transmit signals across the brain, helping us respond to our environment. They play a vital role in processing information and triggering responses in the body. The brain’s network of interneurons, which connects different parts, heavily relies on neurotransmitters for communication. Serotonin, another key neurotransmitter, influences addiction by affecting our emotional responses to drugs. It plays a role in the compulsive use of drugs and the high chance of relapse among former addicts, due to its impact on our mood and emotional states.

Another important neurotransmitter is gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which has a calming effect on your brain. It helps regulate anxiety, stress and impulsivity. Drugs can disrupt GABA function and cause imbalances in the brain, contributing to addictive behaviors.

Serotonin is yet another neurotransmitter involved in addiction. It regulates mood, sleep and appetite. Alterations in serotonin levels can contribute to mood disorders commonly associated with addiction like depression or anxiety.

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