delay-discounting

Sub­stance abuse can have dra­mat­ic con­se­quences on the brain and behav­ior. The tra­di­tion­al way of pre­vent­ing drug abuse is often edu­ca­tion. Aware­ness pro­grams do work with peo­ple who can pic­ture long-term reper­cus­sions of abus­ing drugs. Oth­er peo­ple, most often those vul­ner­a­ble to addic­tions, do not ben­e­fit from such pro­grams. It seems that they tend to deval­ue both rewards and pun­ish­ments that will hap­pen in the future, a behav­ior known as delay dis­count­ing. This leads them to opt for imme­di­ate rewards, such as those pro­vid­ed by drugs, and ignore future consequences.

Would it be pos­si­ble then to train the brain of these peo­ple so that they show less delay dis­count­ing? Would that help them stay away from addic­tive sub­stances? [Read more…] about Brain Train­ing as a New Treat­ment for Addictions