Is dopamine release necessary for addiction to occur?
• Not always
• some addictivesubstances do not cause a significant dopamine increase, suggesting other brain mechanisms may also be involved
What research challenges the dopamine theory of addiction?
• Yoder et Al (2009): found no significant dopamine increase in volunteers taking cannabis or alcohol
• Kühn & Gallinat (2011): found similar results, suggesting dopamine may not explain all types of addiction
Why is this finding important?
• it suggests that addiction is more complex than just dopamine and may involve other neurotransmitters (e.g. Serotonin, glutamate) and psychological factors (e.g. Habit formation, stress)
