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Comment
. 2015 Feb 24;112(8):2301-2.
doi: 10.1073/pnas.1500552112. Epub 2015 Feb 11.

Beliefs modulate the effects of drugs on the human brain

Nora D Volkow  1 , Ruben Baler  2
Affiliations
Comment

Beliefs modulate the effects of drugs on the human brain

Nora D Volkow et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. .
No abstract available

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Beliefs (in this case about nicotine content) that modify the expectation about a soon to be received reward (i.e., a cigarette) are powerful modulators of brain activity (and the dopamine response) in the ventral striatum and of the saliency with which that reward is perceived. When combined, the effects of positive and negative beliefs can operate in two diametrically opposed spaces, phenomenologically related to drug intoxication and withdrawal states, respectively, and promote significantly different response behaviors, even if the administered reward is identical.
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