The Neuroscience of Addiction: A Quick Snippet

The Neuroscience of Addiction

We methodically built our program using the neuroscience of addiction, and the research is constantly evolving. In fact, we’re so passionate about making these studies accessible to people that our website includes a page titled “The Research.” Movement is key to rebuilding the brain brick by brick. The neuroscience of addiction is critical to creating a comprehensive treatment program/plan, setting clients and families up for success. Our intention here is to remove the technical jargon and make this information digestible to the everyday reader. When consumers understand the brain science, they become better advocates for the people they love.

Much of the conversation about addiction and the brain talks about dopamine, a neurotransmitter. But emerging research highlights the importance of a part of the brain called the Anterior Mid-Cingulate Cortex, or AMCC. This is the part of the brain that fascinates the Surfside team and informs much of our day-to-day programming. This blog will discuss the neuroscience of addiction as it relates to the AMCC, unpacking how sports and exercise can radically alter this area of the brain.

The Anterior Mid-Cingulate Cortex 101

Here’s a quick rundown on this part of the brain, which we try to describe in terms that anyone and everyone can understand. The Anterior Mid-Cingulate Cortex (we’ll call it AMCC) is responsible for decision making, particularly difficult decisions that involve anxiety or uncertainty. The AMCC is significantly impacted and weakened by substance use, often contributing to impulsive behavior or poor emotion regulation.

For perspective, we can consider a person we love who struggles with addiction. Often we see that during times of significant stress, they make decisions that seem insane. They have anxiety about a job interview, so they begin using, which cements their inability to secure a job. They experience tension in a relationship, so they drink – something that exacerbates the strain. Much of this can be attributed to a weakened AMCC. This doesn’t excuse problematic behavior, but it does give us some perspective.

And here’s the hopeful part: researchers studying the neuroscience of addiction learned that the brain is neuroplastic. This means that the brain isn’t “stuck” one way for our entire lives and instead, it has the ability to shift and change. The AMCC can absolutely be strengthened, allowing people to break free of impulsive behaviors or out of control emotional responses. But it takes work.

How to Strengthen the AMCC

We’ve learned that the brain is malleable, but that doesn’t mean the process is fast or easy. Strengthening the AMCC happens gradually and with practice. We develop this part of our brain when we do things that are just outside of our comfort zone. At Surfside, we use structure, sports and physical fitness to create this discomfort because it is ultimately a safe, low stress tool. Here are a few examples of “uncomfortable” decisions that ultimately strengthen the AMCC:

• Getting off the couch and going to play basketball
• Putting down the phone/social media and participating in a CrossFit class
• Changing out of pajamas/slippers and cleaning your living space

As a person begins to engage in a difficult task or decision, the brain releases dopamine to encourage them to continue. This dopamine acts as a reward – something feels good, and because it feels good, we might just do it again.

Here’s an example: Little Johnny just arrived at Surfside, struggles with low self-esteem (which he masks pretty well) and believes that he’s fallen behind his peers. He spends his free time on social media, comparing himself to other people and telling himself he’s a loser. He doesn’t want to get off his phone to go to afternoon activity, but Support Staff helps to motivate him, encouraging him to give it a shot. He thinks CrossFit is stupid and lame, but he takes the class anyway. We create the opportunity for him to have fleeting thoughts like “This sucks,” or “I need to stop,” and he works through them. He is given a real-life experience to feel that “This too shall pass.” The workout is challenging, but he’s surprised that it’s not as bad as he thought. He doesn’t even realize his body released endorphins that improve his mood a little. He feels better about himself, because he took action to change his circumstances, even if only for an hour. He might even sleep better that night, because his body exerted some extra energy.

“Relapse Prevention” is a widely accepted curriculum in addiction treatment, with “Lifestyle Modification” as one of the tenets. But the neuroscience of addiction makes it clear that we can’t just teach someone that they should change their behavior – we need to actively engage them in activities that literally reshape the brain. An expert approach to treating substance use disorders creates the opportunity for a client to change instead of simply talking about it. At Surfside, sports and activities are a mandatory aspect of our daily programming. It’s bizarre and backwards for mental health practitioners to expect someone to effectively use this part of the brain without giving them the opportunity to strengthen it.

How We Inadvertently Interfere with Brain Development

When we love someone who struggles with Substance Use Disorder, it feels like we’re asked to do the opposite of our instincts. When your child is hurting, you instinctually want to step in and ease their discomfort. But when we understand the neuroscience of addiction, we start to discover that “easing discomfort” means we are depriving someone of their brain development. And when we stunt AMCC development, we are priming the person we love to be totally emotionally unprepared when they face adversity. A weak AMCC sets the stage for relapse and other maladaptive behaviors (impulsivity, gambling, high risk sexual relationships, and more).

As parents, spouses or partners, we want to jump into action when we hear a complaint. Simply encouraging your son to advocate for himself vs. diving in to save the day creates an opportunity to strengthen the AMCC. Action outside of our comfort zone, whether it’s a tough conversation, a challenging workout, or a structured morning routine, develops this part of the brain. And dodging the difficult tasks will weaken it.

Some key takeaways about the AMCC:

• There’s hope! The brain is capable of change, but we need to be open to walking through discomfort. And we need to allow the people we love to do the same.
• Doing uncomfortable tasks boosts self-confidence. The more we do things outside of our comfort zone, the more we subconsciously believe we can overcome challenges.
• An effective addiction treatment program should be able to speak to how they integrate novel neuroscientific research into their treatment approach.