The Hijacked Brain

Addiction and the BrainBob Wolford

Vermont Law SchoolNovember 13, 2015

Fun facts about Neurons

Here are some interesting statistics* about neurons in humans and other animals (remember that these are averages because there is a lot of variability in the nervous system!):

Average number of neurons in the human brain = 100 billion Average number of neurons in the octopus brain = 300 million Rate of neuron growth during fetal development in utero = 250,000 neurons/minute Diameter of a neuron = 4 to 100 microns Length of giraffe primary afferent axon (from neck to toe) = 15 feet Velocity of signal transmitted through a neuron = 1.2 to 250 miles/hour There are as many neurons in the human brain as stars in the Milky Way The number of ways information travels in the human brain is greater than the

number of stars in the universe What if we lined up all the neurons in our body? How long would that line

stretch? Let's assume that one neuron is about 10 microns long. Remember, this is

just an example, because neurons come in all different sizes. So, if we line up 100 billion neurons which are 10 microns long...

100,000,000,000 neurons x 10 microns = 1,000 km or about 600 miles!

A Different State of the Brain

Addiction…IS

…irrational and at times the behavior of people struggling with addictions seems mystifying, even to themselves…

Are the changes in the addicted brain purely the consequence of drug use or is the brain of the habitual user somehow susceptible before drug use begins?

What does the research tell us?

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter. It is a chemical messenger that helps in the transmission of signals in the brain and other vital areas. Dopamine is found in humans as well as animals, including both vertebrates and invertebrates

Pre-frontal Cortex and Limbic System

Pre-Frontal Cortex This vital region of the brain regulates thought in terms of

both short-term and long-term decision making. It allows humans to plan ahead and create strategies, and also to adjust actions or reactions in changing situations. Additionally, the PFC helps to focus thoughts, which enables people to pay attention, learn, and concentrate on goals. This area is also the part of the brain that allows humans to consider several different yet related lines of thinking when learning or evaluating complex concepts or tasks. The prefrontal cortex houses active working memory.

PFC - continued

Unfortunately, the PFC is one of the brain regions most susceptible to injury. When the pathways between the prefrontal cortex and the rest of the brain are damaged or altered, serious personality changes can result. This is logical, since the PFC regulates so many behavior and thought-processing pathways, but can be debilitating and difficult for the injured individual as well as his family and social circle. A person who had been reserved and contemplative can become reckless and impulsive after such an injury. Likewise, a formerly outgoing person can become quiet and withdrawn.

PFC - continued

A damaged PFC can negatively impact a person's ability to assess situations or perform tasks, particularly those of a moral or ethical nature. Since social judgements are made in this brain area, these people can also be rendered unable to discern appropriate behavior or suffer from emotional distress, such as irrational fears, anxiety, euphoria, and irritability. Some studies have found weak interconnections between the PFC and the rest of the brain among criminals, sociopaths, drug addicts, and schizophrenics, which may be further evidence of the importance of this part of the brain in individual behavior and decision-making.

The limbic system is the portion of the brain that deals with three key functions: emotions, memories and arousal (or stimulation). This system is composed of several parts, which are found above the brainstem and within the cerebrum. The limbic system connects parts of the brain that deal with high and low functions.

Stressed Brain

Environmental factors

Epigenetics

Like silt deposited on the cogs of a finely tuned machine after the seawater of a tsunami recedes, our experiences, and those of our forebears, are never gone, even if they have been forgotten. They become a part of us, a molecular residue holding fast to our genetic scaffolding. The DNA remains the same, but psychological and behavioral tendencies are inherited. You might have inherited not just your grandmother’s knobby knees, but also her predisposition toward depression caused by the neglect she suffered as a newborn. 

Epigenetics, cont’dOr not. If your grandmother was adopted by nurturing parents, you might be enjoying the boost she received thanks to their love and support. The mechanisms of behavioral epigenetics underlie not only deficits and weaknesses but strengths and resiliencies, too. And for those unlucky enough to descend from miserable or withholding grandparents, emerging drug treatments could reset not just mood, but the epigenetic changes themselves. Like grandmother’s vintage dress, you could wear it or have it altered. The genome has long been known as the blueprint of life, but the epigenome is life’s Etch A Sketch: Shake it hard enough, and you can wipe clean the family curse

Hope = Neuroplasticity

As time goes by, science provides more and more evidence that our brains are malleable and continually changing in response to our lifestyle, physiology, and environment.

This concept is called neuroplasticity, or brain plasticity—meaning, we are literally reforming our brains with each passing day. It used to be thought that our brains were static, except during some critical developmental periods, but today, we know this isn’t true.

Our brains possess the remarkable ability to reorganize pathways, create new connections and, in some cases, even create new neurons throughout our entire lifetime.

Neuroplasticity, cont’d

The Sea Gypsies, or Moken, are a seafaring people who spend a great deal of their time in boats off the coast of Myanmar and Thailand, have unusual underwater vision -- twice as good as Europeans. This has enabled Mokens to gather shellfish at great depths without the aid of scuba gear. How do the Moken do this? They constrict their pupils by 22 percent. How do they learn to do this? Is it genetic? Neuroscientists argue that anyone can learn this trick. Simply put, the brain orders the body to adapt to suite its needs. 

Treatment implications Medications Vaccines Cognitive-behavioral therapies Ongoing recovery support

Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Hope never decreases by being shared.

Buddha paraphrased