The neurobiology of addiction. A vulnerability/resilience perspective

Major neurobiological changes in substance abuse disorder common to human and animal studies include a compromised reward system, over activated brain stress systems, compromised anti-stress system as well as compromised impulse control and response inhibition system. Existing data indicate that allostatic processes and genetic polymorphism exert a significant influence on the course and severity of SUD, conferring the vulnerable or resilient phenotype.