This video explains the concept of addiction, also known as a substance use disorder, in a kid-friendly manner. It discusses the history of how scientists began to understand addiction as a brain disorder and details the parts of the brain affected by drug use.

"What is addiction?" It's also known as a substance use disorder. Over 20 million people nationwide suffer from addiction. One in seven people will experience addiction at some point in their life. Scientists first began to understand addiction as a brain disorder back in the 1950s. Doctors Olds and Milner conducted laboratory studies on rats and identified the parts of the brain affected by addiction. However, it wasn't until 1994 that doctors Volkov and Shelbert, top neuroscientists, ran PET scans of the brain that showed the effects of substance use disorders. Like other diseases, these scans showed that it affected tissue function. There are two main parts of the brain affected by drug use: the limbic system and the cortex. The limbic system, located deep within the brain, is responsible for our basic survival instincts. When you do essential things to stay alive, like eat, drink, find shelter, build relationships, or care for your young, your brain reinforces behaviors that cause the release of dopamine from this region. This reward for surviving is also transmitted to the amygdala and hippocampus, which records a memory of that feeling, so we seek it again. This is our survival hardwiring. Addiction also affects the prefrontal cortex, which is located in the upper part of the brain. This area is what separates us from the rest of the animal kingdom.