Drug addiction is marked by mild, yet pervasive, cognitive disruptions102 that may accelerate its course, threaten sustained abstinence103 or increase attrition from treatment104,105. The PFC is essential for many of these cognitive processes, including attention, working memory, decision making and delay discounting (TABLE 1), all of which are compromised in addicted individuals, as reviewed elsewhere106. Another important cognitive function of the PFC is self-control, and here we focus on the role of the PFC in this process in addiction (Supplementary information S6 (table)). Self control refers, among other operationalizations, to a person’s ability to guide or stop a behaviour, particularly when the behaviour may not be optimal or advantageous, or is perceived as the incorrect thing to do. This is pertinent to addiction as, despite some awareness of the devastating consequences of drugs (see also the section below on disease awareness in addiction), individuals who are addicted to drugs show an impaired ability to inhibit excessive drug taking. Impaired inhibitory control, which is a key operation in self-control, is also likely to contribute to engagement in criminal activities in order
