What Olds discovered that is so significant to the understanding of addiction, is that our pleasure centers (where the addiction lives) are housed in the Midbrain or Limbic System, which is not under the direct control of the conscious mind or the Frontal Cortex. The Midbrain’s prime directive above all others is survival. This part of the brain has the task of keeping us alive. It is the part that monitors our basic survival needs. This part of the brain generates survival appetites that drive the rest of the body toward what it demands such as oxygen, water, food, sleep, sex, etc. James Olds discovered the power of the Midbrain when doing experiments with mice. When mapping out how the brain responded to pleasurable stimuli by placing electrodes on different areas of the brain, he was astounded when he saw what happened to the mice when he connected to the Midbrain. He found that when the mice had the capacity to tap into the pleasure centers of the Midbrain and receive continual pleasure they would do so at the expense of all other functions until they died. In other words, these mice would keep pressing a certain lever that delivered incredible pleasure until they would die of exhaustion or starvation. These pleasure centers simply overwhelmed the other functions of the brain. Our pleasure centers work in a similar manner. Now we are beginning to get a clearer glimpse of the challenging nature of addictions.
