Study Links Alcoholism to Hyper-Active Dopamine Response in Brain

Individuals who are likely to develop an alcohol addiction demonstrate a distinct brain response while drinking, according to research conducted at McGill University. The findings, published in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research,  were discovered after study partipcants underwent two positron emission tomography (PET) brain scans after drinking either juice or alcohol. “We found that people vulnerable to developing alcoholism experienced an unusually large brain dopamine response when they took a drink,” a researcher revealed. “This large response might energize reward-seeking behaviors and counteract the sedative effects of alcohol. Conversely, people who experience minimal dopamine release when they drink might find the sedative effects of alcohol especially pronounced.” Click here to read the full story.