Scientists have made new strides into understanding the neurological impact of drugs on an individual’s capacity to make decisions informed from past experiences. The orbitofrontal cortex of the brain has long been known to be responsible for the brain’s decision-making, but new research reveals that while the area is responsible for decisions on the spur of the moment, it is not responsible for decisions based on habit or prior experience. This distinction—recently discovered by researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and published in the journal Science——may help explain the neurological patterns responsible for substance abuse and addiction. “Drug addiction is marked by severe deficits in judgment and bad decision-making on the part of the addict,” says lead author Joshua Jones, Ph.D. “We believe that drugs, particularly cocaine, affect the orbitofrontal cortex. They coerce the system and hijack decision-making.” The damage to the brain region caused by drugs can have long-lasting effects that prevent people from using the consequences of past decisions to influence present ones. Read More…