How Cognitive Cycle of Addiction Works On The Brain

Binge and Intoxication

Binge and intoxication involve the intensification of a drug-induced activation of the brain's reward system (basal ganglia) that creates pleasurable sensations.

Addictive drugs stimulate the brain's reward sections by increasing the release of dopamine, which elicits a reward signal that triggers associative learning or conditioning at the brain's receptor level.

During the repeated exposure to the same reward, dopaminergic neurons launch an anticipatory response (conditioned stimuli) rather than responding only to the reward.

Reference; The brain's condition pattern of dependence and its associated stages and symptoms are adapted from Volkow et al 2016 and the 2016 Surgeon General's Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health.

Withdrawal and Negative Affect

Upon withdrawal, the negative or adverse affect stimulates the brain fields associated with emotions that in turn result in a negative mood and a heightened sensitivity to stress.

The dopamine-enhancing influences of drugs are firmly rooted in the alterations in the circuitry of the extended amygdala in the basal forebrain, leading to exaggerated reactivity to stressors, anxiety and other negative emotions (“antiward system”).

In individuals with addiction, the "antireward" operation of the brain displays overactivity. This impact can provoke a profoundly dysphoric state that is associated with the subsiding of the drug's influences, drug withdrawal, and the reduced reactivity of dopamine cells in the brain's reward circuitry.

Consequently, individuals use drugs to achieve temporary relief from dysphoria rather than for pleasure.

The brain disease model of addiction and its associated stages and symptoms are adapted from Volkow et al 2016 and the 2016 Surgeon General's Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health.

Preoccupation and Anticipation

The decrease in signaling of the prefrontal cortex is linked with the failure to balance the intense craving for the drug with the will to abstain, which ultimately triggers the individual's relapse and reinitiates the cycle commonly known as addiction.

It is at this stage, down-regulation of dopamine signaling dulls the reward circuits' sensitivity to pleasure, which also occurs in this area of the brain. Down-regulation of dopamine has a severe impact, diminishing administrative process, including the functions for self-regulation, and decision making.

Alterations in the prefrontal cortex produce an asymmetry associated with reward and emotional responses. These variations have a significant consequence on the advancement of compulsive actions and behaviors. This is why, despite recognizing potentially catastrophic consequences, addicted individuals are powerless to reduce their drug-taking behavior.

The brain disease model of addiction and its associated stages and symptoms are adapted from Volkow et al 2016 and the 2016 Surgeon General's Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health.