CONICET | Buscador de Institutos y Recursos Humanos

Drug addiction, we are told, is perhaps the worst medical problem of the modern world. It is disconcerting,then, to realize that we still do not have a clear definition of what constitutes addiction. Here I will addressthe question from the broader perspective of compulsive behaviors. Compulsive behavior exists in every partof life. We go to work, even if we hate our jobs. We overindulge in food or drink, while we talk about losingweight. We text our online contacts, even though a family member is sitting next to us - perhaps doing thesame thing. Is there a central mechanism that can explain all this?A fundamental mechanism that underlies all our behaviors is the preference encoded in differences in therelease of the neurotransmitter dopamine within the brain circuit known as the basal ganglia. This circuit isinvolved in all voluntary actions, including the compulsive actions that characterize addictions. Thus, we areleft with a conundrum - do all our actions have the possibility of becoming addictive? How is it that we havelived with addictive substances including the most potent drugs for millennia while widespread drugaddiction has been only an occasional event?There is clearly an epidemic of drug abuse in Western countries that requires a deeper analysis than has yetbeen applied. The model of drug addiction as a disease is tempting for many pragmatic reasons but may beleading us down the wrong path.