1. Train yourselves. Don’t wait to be fed knowledge out of a book. Get out and seek it. Make explorations. Do your own research work. Train your hands and your mind. Become curious. Invent your own problems and solve them. You can see things going on all about you. Inquire into them. Seek out answers to your own questions. There are many phenomena going on in nature the explanation of which cannot be found in books. Find out why these phenomena take place. Information a boy gets by himself is enormously more valuable than that which is taught to him in school. American Chemist & Physicist — Irving Langmuir

2. Volkow explained that the number of a certain type of dopamine receptor, known as D2, might someday be used to predict whether someone will become addicted to alcohol, cocaine and heroin. Brain imaging suggests that people with fewer D2 receptors are more likely to become addicted than those with many of the receptors--and how many of these receptors people have is, in part, genetically determined. Of course, environmental factors also play a role, so propensity isn't destiny, Volkow added. First a person has to experiment with drugs, then he or she has to repeatedly use them. At that point, genetic vulnerability helps determine who winds up addicted. When it comes to tobacco, genetics account for about 75 percent of a person's inclination to begin smoking, said University of Pennsylvania psychologist Caryn Lerman, PhD. Genes also account for 60 percent of the tendency to become addicted and 54 percent of one's ability to quit. Because not all smokers are created equal, it's possible to look at genetic factors to determine the best way to quit. The genetically determined speed at which the body can metabolize nicotine, for example, makes a difference as to whether a nicotine patch or a nicotine nasal spray will work better long term. "A better understanding of biology will help us to personalize treatment to individual smokers," Lerman said.

3. The Seminar Discussion is based on information from the research article, "Genes matter in addiction": What are the new research findings about the ways addiction is based on nature (genetics) vs. nurture (environment & experiences)?

4. What implications does this new information have for your work as a psychologist or counselor?

5. Since the research in this area is leapfrogging ahead now, how will you keep up to date about the evolving research findings that could affect your work?

6. What ethical issues would you be concerned about in conducting research of this kind?