Addictions and neuroscience: UCM expert will offer webinars to schools in Talca

The consequences of drug use for the brain will be the topic that the doctor in neuroscience, Fernando Hinostroza, will address in a series of talks to high school students.

There are many theories about the causes of addictions and although various origins are listed, ranging from the individual’s genes and peer pressure to emotional suffering and environmental stress, the truth is that people regularly start out of curiosity.

“The addicted subjects need to consume drugs to increase the levels of dopamine, the neurotransmitter that sends the signal of pleasure. That is why many addicts end up stealing the family jewels or the television, because they are desperate to consume and reach the level of dopamine that the brain asks of them”, said the expert from the Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the Catholic University of Maule ( CIEAM), Fernando Hinostroza, who will dictate webinars around the theme for schools in Talca.

“Consumption has been shown to decrease the volume of the brain’s prefrontal cortex, which plays a critical role in attentional control, and that means there may be fewer neurons. In addition, there are fewer connections between neurons, in an area that is important for decision-making and for planning life in the future”, said the doctor in Neuroscience, also a member of the Center for Research in Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neurosciences (CINPSI). Neurocog), from the same campus.

“The goal of the webinars is to dissuade students from using,” he said.

marijuana and brain

The biologist by profession explained that although marijuana is less addictive than drugs such as cocaine or methamphetamine, it also causes addiction. “We have molecules in our brain that are responsible for synaptic plasticity, or the way our neurons communicate, and things like regulating appetite or anxiety. Marijuana comes to alter all these processes and therefore can influence the way the brain develops, ”he asserted.

The webinars “Neuroscience and addiction: How do drugs affect our brain?” They will begin in September in two schools in Talca, reaching six educational establishments. “The good news is that addiction has treatment. The first step is that the person wants to receive help”, highlighted the academic, who will carry out the sessions with the support of the National Agency for Research and Development of Chile (ANID).