MINI REVIEW article
Front. Hum. Neurosci.
Sec. Brain Health and Clinical Neuroscience
Volume 19 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2025.1625880
This article is part of the Research TopicNeurobiological mechanisms of addiction: bridging Neuroscience and clinical implicationsView all 4 articles
Addiction, Attachment, and the Brain: A Focused Review of Empirical Findings and Future Directions
Provisionally accepted
- Sigmund Freud University Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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This focused review integrates theoretical and empirical work from developmental neuroscience, attachment theory, and psychodynamic psychotherapy to reconceptualize addiction as a disorder rooted in disrupted attachment and altered brain function. Drawing on both clinical and research findings, it explores how early relational trauma contributes to dysregulation of stress-response systems and functional changes in brain regions involved in self-awareness, emotion regulation, and reward processing. Particular attention is given to the insular cortex and its role in interoception as it relates to addictive behavior. EEG neurofeedback is introduced as an emerging therapeutic tool, illustrated through a clinical case study that demonstrates how its combination with psychodynamic therapy can foster both neurophysiological regulation and emotional insight. This work supports a view of addiction as a disconnection from bodily and relational signals, rooted in early attachment experiences, and contributes to a more integrative, developmentally informed treatment model.
Keywords: Addiction, Attachment, Developmental Neuroscience, interoception, insular cortex, EEG Neurofeedback, Psychodynamic therapy, early trauma
Received: 09 May 2025; Accepted: 30 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Unterrainer. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Human-Friedrich Unterrainer, Sigmund Freud University Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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