Associate Professor of Psychology David Zald is the lead researcher for a study exploring why novelty-seekers are more at risk for drug abuse and other unsafe behaviors. The researchers found that novelty-seeking individuals have fewer autoreceptors in their brain to regulate the neurotransmitter dopamine. Positron emission topography was used to view the levels of dopamine receptors in 34 healthy humans who had taken a questionnaire that measured the novelty-seeking personality trait. The National Institute of Drug Abuse funded the research.
Contact: Ann Marie Deer Owens, 615-322-NEWS
annmarie.owens@vanderbilt.edu