Addiction

Research Proposal
Quintin Pear
3/15/15

Research Question: Is the hippocampus activity when someone stops smoking similar to when
someone stops using the internet?

I will investigate what addiction looks like in the human brain. When someone uses
drugs or alcohol a chemical called dopamine is released in the brain. Dopamine is used as a
reward system for our brain. When someone repeatedly uses drugs this can cause the
hippocampus to form memories of the sense of satisfaction and the amygdala creates a
conditioned response to certain stimuli. Not everyones reward system is as vulnerable as
others. The change in brain chemistry caused by drugs can cause a person to go into
withdrawal when it is stopped. Withdrawal can cause depression, anxiety, and many more
unfortunate effects.
For this project I will be researching the hippocampus and amygdala. The hippocampus
is located in the medial temporal lobe of the human brain. In humans and other mammals there
are two hippocampi, one located on each side of the brain. It is known as the integrator of
memory and plays a key role in the formation of new memories. The amygdalae are located in
the temporal lobes. It is a very small almond shaped structure that is believed to play major
roles in a few processes. These processes include decision making, emotional reactions, and
memory. It is also believed that it plays a role in sexual orientation. Along with these two
structures, I will be researching dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter and a hormone that
is released by nerve cells to communicate and send signals to other nerve cells. Dopamine has
many roles. Motor control and controlling the releases of other hormones are to key roles it has.

Dopamines role in the formation of addiction is the affect of pleasure it has on the brain.
Dopamine is used as part of the brains reward system. When someone uses a drug, dopamine
is released into the brain and is seen as a shortcut to reward by the brain.
This research is very important to understand how to treat and prevent addiction. It is
important to prevent addiction because addiction to drugs and alcohol can cause damage to the
brain. For example, Many drug addicts have damages to their frontal lobes from alcohol
abuse(Erdozain, Morentin, 2014). This damage cause the person's cognitive functions as well
as their decision making ability to be lowered.

It is important to understand that the human

brain can become addicted to almost everything. Eating, video games, coffee, and many other
activities can become addictive to someone. Not all addictions cause people to suffer from
withdrawal like a drug addiction does but some do. For example, gambling addiction withdrawal
can cause insomnia, stress disorders, suicidal thoughts, and many other health effects similar to
drug withdrawal. A research study done by researchers at Swansea University found that a
small exposure to internet addicts had negative effects on the mood of these people these
people.
During this experiment I will research the hippocampus as well as the rest of the limbic
system. The limbic system is located on both sides of the thalamus right under the cerebrum.
The limbic system is a group of brain structures that are responsible for emotions and brain
behavior such as stress and reward related events. Researching the limbic system is important
to research because this is an area that is responsible for the formation of addiction.
The organisms I would like to use for my experiment are humans. Humans have many
features that make them needed for this experiment. A very important feature humans have are
the most developed brain of any organisms. The activities being research are activities that are
only done by humans. Only humans can become addicted to the internet. The addicted
behavior is possible to be present in animals but an addiction to the internet is only possible in
humans because the human brain is the only brain complex enough to understand the internet.

Another reason I would choose the human brain is because the limbic lobe in the human brain
is more developed than different species such as mice or rats.
For my experiment I plan to use fMRI to record activity in the brain. The fMRI also known
as the functional magnetic resonance imaging is used to measure brain activity by detecting
changes of blood flow. When an area of the brain is used more blood is flowed to and used in
that specific area. The activity I will record is the activity in the limbic system of a brain suffering
from withdrawal from certain activities. There are three different types of addicted brains I would
like to use. One of the brains is from a person who is addicted to smoking and the other is from
a person addicted to using the internet. The last brain is from someone who is addicted to some
form of hard drugs.Through recording done by the fMRI machine I hope to find key similarities
and differences of the three brains limbic systems activity. I hypothesise to find similar brain
activity in all of the people. I dont think there will be similar physical withdrawal symptoms, but
the withdrawal symptoms in the brain will be similar. I believe this will change the way our
society views addiction. Addiction will not only be associated with people who can not stop
smoking or using drugs but now when we can not stop doing anything, like using the internet.
Researching addiction to internet is very important. By researching this form of addiction,
it can help us understand the root causes and find more possible treatments for it. These
treatments can be for both internet addiction as well as addiction to many things. It is also very
helpful in preventing the formation of new addictions. By understanding what forms our
addiction to the internet we can prevent future generations from constantly checking their phone
and internet status. The problem we have created by constantly checking our phone is a social
problem. People are losing communications skills and it is essential that we work to maintain
them. It is important to maintain these communication skills because they help people expand
their perspectives on things. This research would allow people to understand that they can
become addicted to their phones, as well as almost everything. I do not believe this study will be
unethical. The information collected will be confidential and will not be released to anyone. In

conclusion this research will help understand addiction and ultimately change the scientific field
of study on addiction.

Awesome job with this! It just needed to be a bit longer - thats my only complaint. Great
background research & experimental design! 29.5/30

Half a page short! -.5

References:
The addicted brain - Harvard Health. (2009, June 9). Retrieved February 16, 2015, from
http://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/the_addicted_brain

Romano, M., Osborne, L., Truzoli, R., Reed, P., & Hidalgo, C. (2013). Differential Psychological
Impact of Internet Exposure on Internet Addicts. PLoS ONE, E55162-E55162. Retrieved March

3, 2015, from Differential Psychological Impact of Internet Exposure on Internet

Addicts \http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0055162

Volkow, N., Fowleer, J., & Wang, G. (2004). The addicted human brain viewed in the light of
imaging studies: Brain circuits and treatment strategies. Elsevier. Retrieved March 4, 2015, from
http://www.cogsci.ucsd.edu/~pineda/COGS175/readings/Volkow.pdf

Griffiths, M. (2011, November 24). Why anything can be addictive. Retrieved March 6, 2015,
from http://www.bbc.com/news/health-15723834

Erdozain, A., Morentin, B., Bedford, L., & King, E. (2014). Alcohol-related brain damage in
humans. Plos One. Retrieved March 11, 2015, from PubMed.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24699688