Memory is an area of cognition that is thought to both be affected by, and be an integral part of the substance abuse cycle. Whereas addiction was once believed to be attributed to a lack of willpower, or flaws of character, much of the current understanding realizes it is a complex interplay between individual genetic, biological, developmental, and environmental characteristics (Koob & Volkow, 2009). The overreaching scope of this paper is to examine the connections between addiction and memory; including short and long-term memory, working memory, declarative memory, verbal memory, associative memory, memory loss, memory management, spatial memory, motor memory, procedural memories, episodic memories, prospective memory, as well as user lifestyle factors that can have detrimental effects on memory.
There are three main areas of the brain: the brain stem, the cerebrum, and the cerebellum. The cerebrum accounts for eighty-five percent of the brain’s weight, and houses the cerebral cortex and the limbic …show more content…
When an individual uses drugs, the drugs mimic natural processes in the brain, effectively hijacking normal functioning. When an individual becomes addicted, their brain is rewired. The term “addiction” comes from a Latin phrase meaning "enslaved by" or "bound to” (Harvard Health Publications, 2011). Psychologically and neurologically speaking, addiction is an altered cognition disorder (Gould, 2010). Analysis of research shows that molecular, cellular, behavioral and computational levels indicate a “pathological usurpation of the neural mechanisms of learning and memory that under normal circumstances serve to shape survival behaviors related to the pursuit of rewards and the cues that predict them” (Hyman, 2005, p.
There are three main areas of the brain: the brain stem, the cerebrum, and the cerebellum. The cerebrum accounts for eighty-five percent of the brain’s weight, and houses the cerebral cortex and the limbic …show more content…
When an individual uses drugs, the drugs mimic natural processes in the brain, effectively hijacking normal functioning. When an individual becomes addicted, their brain is rewired. The term “addiction” comes from a Latin phrase meaning "enslaved by" or "bound to” (Harvard Health Publications, 2011). Psychologically and neurologically speaking, addiction is an altered cognition disorder (Gould, 2010). Analysis of research shows that molecular, cellular, behavioral and computational levels indicate a “pathological usurpation of the neural mechanisms of learning and memory that under normal circumstances serve to shape survival behaviors related to the pursuit of rewards and the cues that predict them” (Hyman, 2005, p.