Dopamine and Addiction

Dopamine is the pleasure chemical in the brain—at least that’s the popular understanding. It’s part of the reward pathway involved in addiction. But Vanderbilt University brain researcher Erin Calipari’s lab has discovered that dopamine levels also increase in response to stressful stimuli—so it’s not just a reward molecule. And that means we may need to rethink addiction treatment. (Segment produced by Olivia Young)