0boettiger_1.jpgCharlotte Boettiger, assistant professor of psychology at UNC, sought to find a cognitive difference between sober alcoholics and people without a history of substance abuse. The studyÕs fMRI images show that in alcoholics areas of the brain involved in decision making work differently. This substantiates alcoholism as a brain disease and provides clues for future medical and behavioral therapies. 13600dsc_0028.jpg29506dsc_0029.jpg44881dsc_0030.jpg56521slide_1a.jpgThe dorsal prefrontal cortex (left) and the posterior parietal cortex were active in people who choose short-term rewards and in people who had a variant of the COMT gene that leads to less dopamine. 112380slide_2.jpgThe parahippocampal gyrus is associated with emotional response. In this study, it was active in people who chose ÒnowÓ rewards, suggests that a person might be experiencing negative expectations of waiting for outcomes. 133761slide_3.jpgPeople who chose for the delayed reward showed activity in the occipital frontal cortex. 148254dsc_0038.jpgversion517creditsProduction by Clinton Colmenares and Dan Searsabstractabstract here...header_headlineheader_font_hex000000header_hex000000header_height30body_hex000000body_frame_hex000000controls_hex333333controls_styledefaultfooter_hexFFFFFFfooter_font_hex000000footer_height15htmlbg_hex000000player_styledefaultautoStartfalseautoShowCaptionsfalsedisplay_sizesfalsedisplay_headlinetruedisplay_footertrueshowCreditstrueshowCaptionstrueembed_stylefalsecentertrueheader_headline_fontArialcaption_font_faceArialcaption_font_size11footer_font_faceVerdanafooter_font_size9scrub_previewfalseshow_volumefalsetransition_typecrossfadetransition_time1show_thumbnailstruetlength538903fla983655swf660693userdsc_0037.jpgCharlotte BoettigerAsst. Prof. of Psychology541198272580278Auto saved