S4 Ep13: Your Mind on Substance Abuse with Dr. Keanan Joyner
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What really is addiction—and can we actually get addicted to our phones? Dr. Keanan Joyner joins us to discuss how addiction works from both a biological and social lens. He shares insights from his lab’s research on drug use, genetics, and disinhibition, and explains why substance abuse isn’t just about individual choice. Ava and Beth also discuss screen use, dopamine, and what counts as “real” addiction. Plus, Dr. Joyner shares why EEG studies often exclude Black participants, and what his lab is doing to change that.
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Dr. Keanan Joyner
Research discussed
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Joyner, K. J., Yancey, J. R., Venables, N. C., Burwell, S. J., Iacono, W. G., & Patrick, C. J. (2020). Using a co-twin control design to evaluate alternative trait measures as indices of liability for substance use disorders. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 148, 75-83.
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Joyner, K. J., Bowyer, C. B., Yancey, J. R., Venables, N. C., Foell, J., Worthy, D. A., ... & Patrick, C. J. (2019). Blunted reward sensitivity and trait disinhibition interact to predict substance use problems. Clinical Psychological Science, 7(5), 1109-1124.
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Joyner, K. J., Patrick, C. J., Morris, D. H., McCarthy, D. M., & Bartholow, B. D. (2024). Variants of the P3 event-related potential operate as indicators of distinct mechanisms contributing to problematic alcohol use. Neuropsychopharmacology, 1-8.
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