Nature and Nurture Both Active in Addictions

Brain scans of pairs of siblings, only one of whom is a cocaine addict, show that both have brain abnormalities that make it difficult for them to exercise self-control. The findings show that these brain abnormalities are not caused by drug use and help explain why some people are more likely to develop an addiction to drugs than others. Still, researchers do not yet understand why it is that some with this brain abnormality are able to overcome their predisposition to abuse drugs and others are not. More...