Presented By: Department of Psychology
Drugs, addiction, and the brain.
Terry Robinson, Ph.D., Elliot S. Valenstein Distinguished University Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program
Talk will be given in multi-purpose room in the basement of the downtown branch of the Ann Arbor District Library 343 S. 5th Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI. This is a community talk by University of Michigan Psychology Faculty.
ABSTRACT: When drugs are taken repeatedly their effects often change. Most people are aware that some effects get smaller and smaller – a phenomenon known as tolerance. However, the repeated use of drugs of abuse can also lead to a very different kind of change; some drug effects get bigger and bigger – a phenomenon known as sensitization. Brain regions that are normally involved in regulating motivated behavior are among those that can undergo sensitization, and as these brain systems become hypersensitive this can lead to a pathological increase in the desire (motivation) to take drugs. This talk will focus on the ways drugs of abuse can change the brain, how this influences behavioral and psychological function and how such changes may contribute to the transition from mere drug use to addiction.
ABSTRACT: When drugs are taken repeatedly their effects often change. Most people are aware that some effects get smaller and smaller – a phenomenon known as tolerance. However, the repeated use of drugs of abuse can also lead to a very different kind of change; some drug effects get bigger and bigger – a phenomenon known as sensitization. Brain regions that are normally involved in regulating motivated behavior are among those that can undergo sensitization, and as these brain systems become hypersensitive this can lead to a pathological increase in the desire (motivation) to take drugs. This talk will focus on the ways drugs of abuse can change the brain, how this influences behavioral and psychological function and how such changes may contribute to the transition from mere drug use to addiction.
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