Scientists find common brain network for substance use disorders
Substance use disorders are complex, hard-to-treat conditions that affect a person’s brain and behavior. Affected people are unable to control their use of substances such as alcohol, tobacco, or drugs, despite harmful consequences.
Scientists have used different imaging techniques to find brain areas that might be linked to various addictions. Such studies have often focused on just one particular substance. And they’ve used differing methods for analysis. This variability has made it hard to find commonalities between the brain networks involved in different substance use disorders.