NEW YORK, May 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- For many, bad habits are thought to be matters of poor behavior, or of weak self-control--things that the individual ought to be able to control.

Addiction is a brain disease that destroys lives, devastates families and tears at the very fabric of society.

Speaking directly into a cellphone while holding it against your ear can alter brain activity in those areas closest to the device's antenna.

Researchers at the US Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory have developed an imaging protocol that allows them to visualize the activity of the brain's reward circuitry in both normal individuals and those addicted to drugs.

New treatments aimed at strengthening inhibitory control could help prevent relapse.