The Biology of Addiction
[1:01:47] Drugs of abuse target discrete collections of nerve cells—called circuits—in the brain that normally …
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A Drunk Neuroscientist Explains What Alcohol Does to Your Brain
[4:42] It’s obvious alcohol affects the brain – but even though it seems to affect everyone differently, …
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GABA controls synapse formation in the developing brain.
[3:05] GABA controls synapse formation in the developing brain. [Video and text source: Max Planck Florida Institute…
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Cortical Memories in Humans Are Re-expressed When GABA Is Reduced
[5:07] Barron et al. show that otherwise silent cortical memories are unmasked in the human brain when the concentrati…
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Motivation and Dopamine Release from Disinhibition in the VTA
[6:04] The lateral hypothalamus (LH) sends an inhibitory projection to the ventral tegmental area (VTA) that modulat…
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The Chemistry of Consciousness
[2:28] Jean-Pierre Changeux discusses how general anesthetics hint at the chemical nature of consciousness. [Sourc…
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Alcohol, Caffeine, & Opioids: What Happens When You’re Hooked?
[4:07] Withdrawal is a painful experience when someone stops taking a drug. What makes its symptoms so awful? [Source:…
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2-Minute Neuroscience: GABA
[1:58] In this video I discuss the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid, or GABA. GABA is the primary inhibitory …
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2-Minute Neuroscience: Caffeine
[1:59] Caffeine is the most widely-used mind-altering substance in the world. Although it’s not completely cl…
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2-Minute Neuroscience: Benzodiazepines
[2:00] Benzodiazepines are commonly used to treat anxiety disorders and sleep disorders. They are thought to exert th…
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