Fox News reported Oct. 11 that researchers showed a pair of videos to a group of cocaine addicts and nonusers; one video showed butterflies, the other showed people using crack cocaine. They found that the cerebellum vermis was highly active when the addicts viewed the crack video.

The findings led researchers to question whether the cerebellum is involved in the dopamine system, the main brain mechanism associated with addiction. "Scientists previously contended that the vermis had little involvement in addiction or other disorders involving dopamine," said Harvard's Carl Anderson, Ph.D. "This changes the perspective on how brain regions may interact during addiction. It introduces an entirely new player."

The study appears in advance online publication in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology.

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