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The Great Courses No.1668: The Addictive Brain

12 lectures
31 minutes each
Year Released: 2015
MPEG-3
128 Kbps, 44.1 KHz, 2 channels
English
351 MB



Synopsis: Addiction touches us all. Whether it’s a friend who can’t quit smoking, a colleague afflicted with alcoholism, or a relative abusing prescription drugs, we all know someone who suffers from some form of addiction—we may even have an addiction ourselves. By some estimates, roughly one in four Americans might be considered addicts. On the other hand, many of us use substances such as alcohol recreationally, without suffering the physical or psychological symptoms of addiction. So what is the difference between drug use, abuse, and clinical addiction? What causes addictions? What happens when your brain is on drugs, and why do addicts behave the way they do?

Content:

01.Addiction 101
02.The Psychology and Neuroscience of Reward
03.How Addiction Hijacks the Brain
04.Genetics: Born to Be an Addict?
05.Your Brain on Drugs
06.Why We Crave Coffee and Cigarettes
07.Alcohol: Social Lubricant or Drug of Abuse?
08.The Science of Marijuana
09.Stimulants: From Cocaine to Ritalin
10.The Science of Poppies, Pleasure, and Pain
11.The Gambler's Brain
12.Junk Food, Porn, Video Games: Addictions?