¶ … Brain's Reward Pathway in the Context of Addiction The brain's reward pathway involves the mesolimbic dopamine system controlling the way that an individual reacts to stimuli. Natural rewards such as food, sex, and diverse interactions with others can thus play an important role in motivating a person. One of the simplest ways to describe the brain's reward pathway would be to consider the fact that an individual learns that he or she needs to repeat an action in order to get a reward. Memory is connected with the reward pathway, as memory centers concentrate on identifying all the steps that lead to the reward and attempt to recreate these respective actions. Drugs that are addictive have an effect on the reward system as they reinforce certain behaviors, with the dopamine reward pathway being stimulated by these substances.

The reward pathway is particularly old when regarding things from an evolutionary point-of-view. Dopamine neurons have been found to be present in flies and worms that are believed to have evolved billions of years ago (Mutsatsa). To a certain degree, it would be safe to say that these neurons are directly related to the way that humans evolved through time, taking into account that they have constantly been conditioned by their need to get rewards. Addiction to drugs is actually similar to the need one feels to consume some of the things that are considered the most basic. "The normal part of our physiology that underlies addiction is also found in the manifestation of our need for nurturing, food, fluids, and our desire for sex." (Pomm & Pomm 2) The reward pathway practically acts as a mediator between the individual's mind and these substances. One of the simplest ways to describe it would be to think of a drug as a hijacker taking over the pathway and making the person feel that he or she is unable to live without consuming a drug. The substance virtually becomes equivalent to food and water to the addict.

One of the most effective ways to understand how the brain's reward pathway system works would be to consider actions that clearly have a negative influence on individuals and yet people continue to perform these respective actions. Being determined to eat the last piece of food in spite of the fact that one feels that this is impossible is owed to the brain experiencing pleasure in the process. The individual thus comes to choose to eat more than would be normal for him or her simply because dopamine is being released into the brain as a consequence of doing so. It would be safe to say that the pleasure experienced as a result of dopamine being released into the brain becomes more important to the person than the pain experienced as a consequence of having a full belly.

Drug addiction is largely considered to have four elements:

Tolerance

Dependence

Abstinence

Craving

Tolerance

While performing actions expected to lead to a reward without actually having the respective rewards, it means that dopamine is no longer released in the reward pathway. This can be owed to the fact that the diverse chemicals regulating dopamine levels no longer function as they did the first time the reward was provided. In persons who develop tolerance to a drug, these people feel that they gradually need to increase their dosage in order to experience the same feelings that they were having in the beginning of the addiction process. Drugs like cocaine function by limiting dopamine reuptake and the concentration of transmitter in the brain is steadily raised. "Tolerance develops because the increase in synaptic dopamine concentration causes down-regulation of post-synaptic dopamine receptors. This means that higher amounts of transmitter, and hence drug, are needed to achieve the same level of dopamine transmittion." (Longstaff 326) This makes it possible for someone to understand why many addicts eventually come to overdose -- in spite of being especially familiar with the drug they are using and with the negative effects of taking it in large quantities, they ignore risks and do everything they can in order to get their reward.

One of the most intriguing things about the reward pathway and addiction involves drugs being taken in novel situations. People who consume an addictive substance in the same environment over and over again are more likely to develop tolerance in contrast with individuals who do so in conditions they are not familiar with (Longstaff 325). Although the latter are also probable to develop tolerance eventually, this once again proves that there is a connection between memory and...

The series of biological changes triggered by the drug influence the person to acknowledge the fact that he or she needs to continue to use the substance in order to feel OK. In cases when he or she stops the inflow of the substance, the individual is likely to have problems performing some of the most basic tasks -- thus feeling that he or she needs to continue to procure the substance through any means available.
Abstinence syndrome

In situations when individuals stop taking substance that they have developed dependence for, the abstinence syndrome comes in. This process can be especially uncomfortable and is likely to last for a prolonged period of time, until the biological changes caused by the substance wear off and the person can continue to live his or her life as they previously did. "Hence, addiction (the need to take the drug repeatedly) can be driven as much by the aversion to withdrawal as by the positive reinforcing qualities of the drug." (Longstaff 326)

As previously mentioned, drug addiction can be similar to a series of feelings considered normally by individuals in the contemporary society. Hunger is, in many ways, similar to drug withdrawal, especially considering that hunger leads to an increased motivation to eat, making the individual desperate and willing to do anything in extreme situations.

Craving

Even after several months or years after a drug addict stops taking a drug, he or she is likely to continue to feel the need to use it. During the period when the substance is being consumed addicts develop memories that link the brain awards induced by consuming the substance to the substance itself. As a consequence, they come to believe that the only way to experience particular types of pleasure would be to consume the substance. Many are actually likely to long for the times they were consuming the substance in spite of being well acquainted with the destructive effect it had on their bodies. "Functional brain imaging shows that cocaine administration in addicts causes transient activity in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and nucleus accumbens." (Longstaff 326) Memory-related factors cause some former addicts to associate particular feelings with taking the drug and thus influence them to relapse. These individuals can consider that they are unable to appreciate some environments as long as the substance is not present in their systems. For example, individuals going to parties can be inclined to believe they are unable to have fun because their idea of having fun is strongly related with consuming the drug in those respective environments (Longstaff 326).

Most people can have a complex understanding of addiction by thinking of an action or a substance that they have felt addicted to and that is yet considered perfectly normal. Lots of people have been addicted to food or sex throughout their lives and have experienced many of the elements characteristic to a drug addiction. "These disorders are a little more complicated to treat because we need both food and sex for survival (food for the individual and sex for the species)." While the boundary between normal and abnormal seems especially clear, things become more intricate as one goes in-depth and addresses a series of other things that some people might consider essential for survival. There are numerous individuals who are able to emphasize the reason why it would be bad for someone to consume illegal substances or alcohol. However, when considering substances like anxiety pills and the fact that some people can function much better if they take them, it seems that the discussion is more complicated than it seems.

By getting actively involved in studying the neuroplasticity of the reward pathway, researchers are likely to discover the exact factors that cause addiction. This can make it possible for them to prevent particular substances from being able to hijack the reward pathway and can cure a great deal of drug addicts believed to be hopeless. The hippocampus has been shown to play an important role in the mechanical process of addiction. Phases such as craving and the anticipation of consuming an addictive substance are related to memory -- one of the principal concepts associated with the hippocampus. The process of addiction is practically learned and the individual's memory is one of the main factors causing him or her to express particular interest in using a substance. These findings have resulted…