Brain and addiction: from neuroscientific evidence to Korean legislation

抄録

Since Olds and Miller discovered the space preference phenomenon and related brain structures in 1952, the so-called pleasure center or reward system was identified during animal experiments to test brain function by self-stimulation. Due to advances in brain imaging technology, a large body of evidence now indicates that addiction is a disease of the brain. Thereafter, substance dependence was determined to be closely related with the reward system and parts of the prefrontal cortex. Recent studies in behavioral addiction, such as pathological gambling and internet gaming disorder, demonstrated that the neural substrate for cue-induced craving is similar to that of cue-induced craving in substance dependence. These substrates include the orbitofrontal and dorsolateral prefrontal cortices, the nucleus accumbens, the cingulate cortex, and the caudate nucleus, suggesting that substance and behavioral addiction could share the same neuropathophysiology. Based on this neuroscientific evidence, we developed education materials to prevent addiction. The basic concepts of addiction, including craving, withdrawal and tolerance, loss of impulse control, and social or occupational dysfunction are explained in the material based on results from neuroscience studies In additional, a legislative bill to prevent, manage, and treat addiction was introduced in 2013, regardless of the debate and controversy in Korea. The education material and bill will be helpful to understand and manage patients suffering from addiction.