Brain Chemistry and the Mind

The study of nicotine is an important one; it is widely accepted now that smoking is an addiction, not a harmless pastime. It's a habit that’s very difficult to curb, despite strong encouragement from graphic TV advertisements, horrific statistics, and hopeless survival rates. Research centers are attempting to figure out how to target the receptors for nicotine, or how melatonin, a chemical associated with sleep, might be employed on a person with a hard-to-kick nicotine addiction. Read more on Colorado University’s promising study of melatonin in mice from Science Daily.

Chemicals are also used to treat conditions such as OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder), anxiety, and depression. For example, SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) are a popular class of drug that essentially let the brain “soak” in its own serotonin, a chemical associated with emotional stability and happiness. Psychiatrist Peter Kramer’s seminal 1993 book, “Listening to Prozac,” strongly endorsed the use of SSRIs. But recent studies suggest that new users of antidepressants may experience suicidal thoughts. The risk is especially high in children and adolescents, but as Beyond the Headlines recently reported, anti-depressant and anti-psychotic drugs are being implicated in a number of violent acts by adults toward others.

Many experts are raising their doubts about the efficacy of these so-called antidepressants, and some have been doing so for years. In a 2002 New York Times article, Richard A. Friedman outlined research supporting the argument that talk therapy is approximately as effective as drugs in alleviating depression and OCD symptoms. The BBC reported in February that recent studies of SSRI effectiveness indicate that antidepressants rarely work better than placebos in treating mild depression.

Clearly, drugs still have their uses in treating mental and developmental disorders with an evident organic cause.  For example, studies have found that ADHD is linked to a “dopamine production defect” in the brain, which has paved the way for treatment of the condition with drugs like Ritalin. But the ineffectiveness—and the side effects—of some drugs used to treat psychiatric disorders underscore the fact that researchers still have a long way to go in discovering all the mysteries of the brain, and how to tailor treatment for each individual case.

For more fascinating resources about the brain, consult findingDulcinea’s Science of the Brain Guide, which has sections on brain fitness, brain anatomy, the latest neuroscience research and more.