The Addictive Brain
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Episodes
S1 E1 - Addiction 101
March 5, 201534minBegin by defining "addiction," which is diagnosed based on characteristics such as abuse, dependence, and craving. Professor Polk then surveys the history of drug use, from ancient history through the development of synthetics in the 19th and 20th centuries. Finally, he reviews government regulation and the substantial costs of drug abuse, both to the individual and to society.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buyS1 E2 - The Psychology and Neuroscience of Reward
March 5, 201531minExplore the brain's mechanisms for learning from reinforcement. You'll start with the psychological aspects, discovering the way humans learn by a series of trials and rewards. Then you'll find out what parts of the brain process pleasure, self-control, and craving, and see how the psychology and neuroscience of reward processing converge.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buyS1 E3 - How Addiction Hijacks the Brain
March 5, 201533minHere you'll examine the ways addiction alters the brain by numbing the pleasure center, sensitizing the dopamine system, and inhibiting the prefrontal cortex. Combined, these altered brain functions lead to strong cravings and a reduced ability to control one's actions. This foray into neuroscience will forever change the way you think about addiction.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buyS1 E4 - Genetics - Born to Be an Addict?
March 5, 201532minInvestigate how people may be susceptible to addiction on a genetic level. Thanks to studies of twins and DNA analysis, scientists are homing in on the genes that predispose us toward addiction. While there is no single "addiction gene," our DNA can significantly influence whether we become addicts.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buyS1 E5 - Your Brain on Drugs
March 5, 201529minShift your attention from the nature of addiction to the nature of drugs. Here you'll delve into the process of neurochemical transmission and see how drugs mimic this activity by binding to neural receptors. This process is responsible for everything from a drug's physical and psychological effects to its potency.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buyS1 E6 - Why We Crave Coffee and Cigarettes
March 5, 201533minCaffeine and nicotine are two of the most common psychoactive drugs in our society. How do they work? How dangerous are they? After reviewing how each of these drugs affects the brain - and why nicotine in particular is so addictive - Professor Polk offers several strategies to quit tobacco use.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buyS1 E7 - Alcohol - Social Lubricant or Drug of Abuse?
March 5, 201530minAlcohol is often discussed separately from other drugs, but as you'll discover, alcohol affects the human body in many of the same ways. Take a close look at your brain on alcohol to explore dependence, withdrawal, and genetic susceptibility. Then review several treatment options for alcohol abuse.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buyS1 E8 - The Science of Marijuana
March 5, 201531minAlthough there is no shortage of controversy around marijuana, whose legal status now varies from state to state, the science of this drug may surprise you. Through the lens of the neuroscientist, Professor Polk tours the effects, and the possible medicinal value, of marijuana.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buyS1 E9 - Stimulants - From Cocaine to Ritalin
March 5, 201532minFrom the original recipe for Coca-Cola to treatments for attention deficit disorder, psychostimulant drugs have had remarkable uses. But they have also been dangerously abused in the form of crack cocaine, methamphetamine, and related drugs. Find out how stimulants work in the brain and why they can be so harmful.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buyS1 E10 - The Science of Poppies, Pleasure, and Pain
March 5, 201533minRound out your survey of the world's major drugs with an examination of opium and its derivatives, from regularly prescribed painkillers like codeine and morphine to heroin, often considered the most harmful drug of abuse in the world today. Learn about the neurological effects and treatment options for opiate drugs.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buyS1 E11 - The Gambler's Brain
March 5, 201532minAre drugs the only thing humans can get addicted to? What about behaviors? To answer this question, take a look at what happens inside the brain of a compulsive gambler. As this case study reveals, many of the same neurochemical processes of drug abuse - from genetic predisposition to dopamine release - also accompany addiction to behaviors.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buyS1 E12 - Junk Food, Porn, Video Games - Addictions?
March 5, 201535minConclude with an exploration of other potentially addictive behaviors. Professor Polk argues that some artificial stimuli - junk food, pornography, and video games to name three - are "supernormal," meaning that they actually activate the brain's reward circuit more strongly than natural stimuli do, leading to some of the same neurological effects as drug use.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
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Content advisory
- Substance use alcohol use smoking sexual content
Subtitles
- None available
Producers
- The Great Courses
Cast
- Thad A. Polk
Studio
- The Great Courses
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