Comments on: Abnormal brain structures hint at poor self-control and vulnerability to drug addiction http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2012/02/02/abnormal-brain-structures-hint-at-poor-self-control-and-vulnerability-to-drug-addiction/ Mon, 26 Nov 2012 12:00:51 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: ChasCPeterson http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2012/02/02/abnormal-brain-structures-hint-at-poor-self-control-and-vulnerability-to-drug-addiction/#comment-14264 ChasCPeterson Sat, 04 Feb 2012 15:04:51 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/?p=6307#comment-14264 I searched this post in vain for exactly what 'drugs' were involved in the study--that's an extremely broad and diverse category, even for drugs of abuse--and found only a single indirect mention of 'stimulant drugs' (which I see is also specified in the title of the publication discussed, and the abstract, without further specification). I don't think it's likely to be useful to extrapolate these findings to all addictive drugs, which after all work on very different receptors and synapses, and probably therefore have different underlying causes for addiction. I searched this post in vain for exactly what ‘drugs’ were involved in the study–that’s an extremely broad and diverse category, even for drugs of abuse–and found only a single indirect mention of ‘stimulant drugs’ (which I see is also specified in the title of the publication discussed, and the abstract, without further specification).
I don’t think it’s likely to be useful to extrapolate these findings to all addictive drugs, which after all work on very different receptors and synapses, and probably therefore have different underlying causes for addiction.

]]> By: Zach Miller http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2012/02/02/abnormal-brain-structures-hint-at-poor-self-control-and-vulnerability-to-drug-addiction/#comment-14263 Zach Miller Fri, 03 Feb 2012 23:07:36 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/?p=6307#comment-14263 What an interesting study. It implies that the non-addicted sibling might fall to drug addiction if introduced to a drug. Or am I reading that wrong? What an interesting study.

It implies that the non-addicted sibling might fall to drug addiction if introduced to a drug. Or am I reading that wrong?

]]> By: donK http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2012/02/02/abnormal-brain-structures-hint-at-poor-self-control-and-vulnerability-to-drug-addiction/#comment-14262 donK Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:34:07 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/?p=6307#comment-14262 How exactly does addiction work? I thought it involved a physiological dependence not just a lack of self control. If siblings share similar socioeconomic, family background, brain scans, and stop-signal performance, but not drug addiction it would seem that those things do not determine drug addiction. Further it is dubious to draw any conclusion from a data set of 50 or 100 that draws on self reported data. How exactly does addiction work? I thought it involved a physiological dependence not just a lack of self control. If siblings share similar socioeconomic, family background, brain scans, and stop-signal performance, but not drug addiction it would seem that those things do not determine drug addiction. Further it is dubious to draw any conclusion from a data set of 50 or 100 that draws on self reported data.

]]> By: G http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2012/02/02/abnormal-brain-structures-hint-at-poor-self-control-and-vulnerability-to-drug-addiction/#comment-14261 G Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:45:34 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/?p=6307#comment-14261 Interesting. That stop-signal test sounds remarkably like the one I took for ADD diagnosis. With ADD, you start out responding correctly, but as it continues, your responses get worse and worse (they tested accuracy, time to response, and persistence). Interesting. That stop-signal test sounds remarkably like the one I took for ADD diagnosis. With ADD, you start out responding correctly, but as it continues, your responses get worse and worse (they tested accuracy, time to response, and persistence).

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