Food, Drugs, and Alcohol's Effect on the Brain's Reward System (IMAGE)
Caption
A team from the University of Pennsylvania found that consuming food turns down the activity of neurons that signal hunger in the brain via a different pathway than alcohol and drugs. The researchers also discovered that the circuits that trigger the pleasurable release of dopamine are interconnected with the activity of hunger neurons, suggesting that drugs and alcohol can hijack not only the brain's reward circuits but also those responsible for signaling hunger, serving to create a behavior that reinforces itself.
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Amber Alhadeff/University of Pennsylvania
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