CREB in the context of "Corticotropin-releasing hormone"

The disease model of addiction describes an addiction as a disease with genetic, biological, neurological or environmental origin. The traditional medical model of disease requires only an abnormal condition causing distress, discomfort or dysfunction to an affected individual. The contemporary medical model partly attributes addiction to changes in the brain's mesolimbic pathway. The model also considers these diseases as a result of other biological, psychological or sociological entities, despite an incomplete understanding of their mechanisms. The common biomolecular mechanisms underlying addiction – CREB and ΔFosB – were reviewed by Eric J. Nestler in a 2013 review. Genetics and mental disorders may precipitate the severity of a drug addiction. It is estimated that 50% of healthy individuals developing an addiction can trace the cause to genetic factors.