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In addition, research has found genetic evidence that humans have had a long evolutionary history to plant neurotoxins. Sullivan et al. (2008) [ 12 ] has noted that humans, like other mammals, have 'inherited' the cytochrome P450 system, which functions to detoxify chemicals found in the environment, including plant neurotoxins.
Addiction can cause physical, emotional and psychological harm to those affected by it. [1] The American Society of Addiction Medicine defines addiction as "a treatable, chronic medical disease involving complex interactions among brain circuits, genetics, the environment, and an individual's life experiences. People with addiction use ...
The common biomolecular mechanisms underlying addiction – CREB and ΔFosB – were reviewed by Eric J. Nestler in a 2013 review. [3] Genetics and mental disorders may precipitate the severity of a drug addiction. It is estimated that 50% of healthy individuals developing an addiction can trace the cause to genetic factors. [4]
Contemporary research in neurobiology (a branch of science that deals with the anatomy, [9] physiology, and pathology of nervous system) of addiction points to genetics as a major contributing factor to addiction vulnerability. It has been estimated that 40–60% of the vulnerability to developing an addiction is due to genetics.
Rat Park was a series of studies into drug addiction conducted in the late 1970s and published between 1978 and 1981 by Canadian psychologist Bruce K. Alexander and his colleagues at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, Canada.
Findings from behavioural genetic research have broadly impacted modern understanding of the role of genetic and environmental influences on behaviour. These include evidence that nearly all researched behaviours are under a significant degree of genetic influence, and that influence tends to increase as individuals develop into adulthood.
Further evidence of a genetic component is research findings from family studies which suggest that if one family member has a history of addiction, the chances of a relative or close family developing those same habits are much higher than one who has not been introduced to addiction at a young age. [100]
Another important concern is the lack of evidence supporting the addictive personality label and the possibility of stigma. [2] While there is a medical consensus surrounding the genetic components of addiction, [5] there is no such consensus supporting the idea that specific personality types have a tendency towards addictive behaviors. [2]