Cracking the code of addiction

10/12/22 • 23 min

Reward is essential for life. Our brains flood with feel-good chemicals when we learn, eat, have sex. But these essential brain circuits are hijacked in drug addiction. Neuroscientists at the Allen Institute and the University of North Carolina are working to crack the biology of reward and addiction. Hear about their work and their hopes for the future of treating addiction in this episode of Lab Notes.

Behind every science headline, there is a human story. Hear about the scientific advancements aiming to shape the cures of tomorrow with Lab Notes: A podcast from the Allen Institute. Streaming everywhere.

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Lab Notes - Cracking the code of addiction

Transcript

Karel Svoboda

You know, I'm, I'm new here. I lived in the suburbs, and this is different, right? You know, when I go past someone who seems to just lie on the sidewalk, I'm sort of tempted and I tend to check if they're still alive. A month or so ago, just walking down 2nd street, there was someone lying essentially just barely wheezing. Sometimes with opiates, especially — so one of the key, one of the most abused drugs in Seattle right now is fentanyl, which is a s