Reward deficiency syndrome

 An interesting condition I found from the lecture slides was reward deficiency syndrome, shortened as RDS. Although this syndrome is not a standalone diagnosis for someone, it is an interesting proposition to try and explain how personality and addiction can be intertwined. It’s also interesting to note that, these people who have this condition suffer from this deficiency in all reward systems, not just food or drugs, but also their social, physical and spiritual life. A person suffering from this syndrome has naturally less dopamine than the average person, which is theorized to give them an increased likelihood of seeking drugs as well. However, this syndrome proves as an excellent example that reward systems in the brain can also be caused by biological, and not just substance or social issues. 

Additionally, an epidemiological study by Blum et All titled “Reward Deficiency Syndrome (RDS) Surprisingly Is Evolutionary and Found Everywhere: Is It “Blowin’ in the Wind”?” (2022 Journal of personalized medicine) had explained this condition as, “Reward Deficiency Syndrome is a polygenic trait with implications that suggest cross-talk between different neurological systems, including the known reward pathway, neuroendocrine systems, and motivational systems. Results from studies using animal models of substance use disorder (SUD), major depressive disorder (MDD), early life stress, immune dysregulation, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), compulsive gambling, and compulsive eating disorders, as well as anhedonia, found underlying reward deficiency mechanisms in multiple brain centers. The widespread and remarkable array of associated/overlapping behavioral manifestations with the common root of hypodopaminergia, the basic endophenotype of these disorders, comprehended as RDS, has indeed been likened to a behavioral octopus [26]. In this regard, previous work from Blum’s group provides the framework within which to suggest that the true phenotype is RDS, and behavioral disorders are endophenotypes.” This study arguably has great potential to demonstrate how not only can addictions be explained personality wise, but also that this syndrome is multidimensional in the sense that it can impact a person’s neuroendocrine, neurotransmitter, and motivational systems far more than simple addiction diagnosis could. Furthermore, people who are struggling with addictions can be provided a better understanding of why their brain’s reward system is struggling, and better forms of help for them to use. Hopefully this research and more to come will be able to provide a better understanding for addiction, and treatment for it as well. 

Reference: Blum, K., McLaughlin, T., Bowirrat, A., Modestino, E. J., Baron, D., Gomez, L. L., Ceccanti, M., Braverman, E. R., Thanos, P. K., Cadet, J. L., Elman, I., Badgaiyan, R. D., Jalali, R., Green, R., Simpatico, T. A., Gupta, A., & Gold, M. S. (2022). Reward Deficiency Syndrome (RDS) Surprisingly Is Evolutionary and Found Everywhere: Is It "Blowin' in the Wind"?. Journal of personalized medicine, 12(2), 321. https://doi.org/10.3390/jpm12020321