Addicts and siblings share brain features

Finding suggests genetic component for diminished self-control, other behaviors

Brain abnormalities commonly seen in drug addicts are also found in the addicts’ sober siblings. The discovery, reported in the Feb. 3 Science,suggests that there are inherited but conquerable risk factors involved in drug dependency. What’s more, looking at how non-using siblings compensate for their inherited brain irregularities may eventually uncover clues to treating drug addiction.