Biology / Unit 12 Bio 2837 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Addiction as Hijacked Synaptic Plasticity
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The idea
Addiction involves substances co-opting long-term potentiation, per Bio 2833, strengthening drug-associated synapses beyond what willpower governs.
In practice
Synaptic strengthening from repeated drug exposure functions like an amplified version of ordinary reward learning.
Where people slip
The strengthened synapses persist long after the drug has cleared the body, which is why craving outlasts withdrawal.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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