Search Results for: concentration

• AVOID L-dopa and anything containing it

  It’s not a good idea to supplement L-dopa, unless under the care of a knowledgeable professional. The isolated form of L-Dopa is a prescription drug with lots of listed side effects. Velvet bean also has L-dopa in it.

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  Read More… from Libido-Enhancing Supplements

COMMENTS: A great overview of behavioral addictions. The theme is that substance and behavioral addictions share the same underlying neurological pathways, mechanisms, and behaviors.

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Read More… from Introduction to Behavioral Addictions (2010)

doi: 10.1098/rstb.2008.0100 Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B 12 October 2008 vol. 363 no. 1507 3181-3189, Marc N Potenza

Abstract

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Read More… from The neurobiology of pathological gambling and drug addiction an overview and new findings (2008)

Neuropsychopharmacology (2008) 33, 166–180; doi:10.1038/sj.npp.1301564; published online 5 September 2007
Full Study: Drug Addiction as a Pathology of Staged Neuroplasticity

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Read More… from Drug Addiction as a Pathology of Staged Neuroplasticity (2007)

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Read More… from Addiction: Decreased Reward Sensitivity and Increased Expectation Sensitivity Conspire to Overwhelm the Brain’s Control Circuit (2010)

COMMENTS: This article (see the study below) is about dopamine imbalances. Imbalances can be genetic or induced, or both. They take the form of high or low dopamine sensitivity (receptors), or high or low levels of dopamine. A common effect of addiction is having low sensitivity, yet releasing high levels in response to addiction cues. I […]

Read More… from (L) Hunger for Stimulation Driven by Dopamine in the Brain (2010)

COMMENTS: One of the few studies that covers how abstinence affects the levels of dopamine receptors.
Highlights:
– D2 receptors bounce back fairly quickly – less than a month
– D1 receptors are way too high at a month, but bounce back within 90 days.
– High or low D1 receptors may be keys to acute withdrawal and cravings

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Read More… from Abstinence from chronic cocaine self administration alters striatal dopamine systems in rhesus monkeys. (2009)

COMMENTS: If you don’t feel like reading the abstracts below, or searching Medline for the rest of the studies, this is the bottom line:

1. There is no scientific evidence for “too much masturbation” causing testosterone levels to decline.
2. There is no consistent evidence for abstinence raising testosterone levels.

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Read More… from Testosterone Research versus Testosterone Myths

Comments: The rats preferred the intense sweetness of both sugar and saccharine over cocaine. This preference continued even when the dose of cocaine was increased, and when the rats had to work harder to receive their sweet reward. The take away is that the rats preferred a natural reinforcer (sugar) over an addictive drug. Internet […]

Read More… from Intense Sweetness Surpasses Cocaine Reward (2007)

Comments: This is for the general public, but it can be a bit technical. Nevertheless, it is one of the best and most complete articles written on addiction.

By Eric J. Nestler and Robert C. Malenka
February 09, 2004

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Read More… from (L) The Addicted Brain – Nestler and Malenka (2004)