Lab Report: Health, Science and Medicine

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For the first time, scientists may have a clue why some drinkers are more prone to alcohol addiction than others. Working with genetically modified mice, the researchers found that animals missing a brain receptor for dopamine, a chemical responsible for feelings of reward and satisfaction, triggered changes in other brain receptors that favored the reinforcing patterns of addiction.

TEEN BRAINS ON DRUGS

Excessive drinking and substance use can temporarily impair mental abilities, but these effects may be longer lasting in adolescents. Teens who use alcohol or drugs heavily show delayed or incomplete development of frontal-brain regions responsible for regulating attention and decisionmaking; alcohol seems to be particularly detrimental to planning skills, while pot affects memory.