 |
|
Cocaine: Perceived as a reward by the brain?
May 20, 2009Cocaine is one of the oldest drugs known to humans, and its abuse has become widespread since the end of the 19th century. At the same time, we know rather little about its effects on the human brain or the mechanisms that lead to cocaine addiction. The latest article by Dr. Marco Leyton, of the Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI), McGill University and the McGill University Health Centre, which was published in the journal Biological Psychiatry on May 15, 2009, not only demonstrates a link between cocaine and the reward circuits in the brain but also associates the susceptibility to addiction with these mechanisms.
The results of this study show that sniffing cocaine triggers high levels of dopamine secretion in a central region of the brain called the striatum. Dopamine is known to play a critical role in the brain's response to reward as well as in its response to addictive drugs.
This study was carried out in ten non-addicted users of cocaine, all of whom sniffed cocaine on one test day and placebo powder on another. Participants underwent blood tests before and after taking the drug, and dopamine release in the brain was measured using PET scans.
"The ability of cocaine to activate dopamine release varies markedly from person to person. Our study suggests that this is related to how much of the drug the person consumed in the past," explained Dr. Leyton. The more cocaine someone has used in his or her lifetime, the more the brain will secrete dopamine during subsequent cocaine use. "It's possible therefore that the intensity of the reward-circuit response is related to increased susceptibility to addiction," stated Dr. Leyton.
Although the relationship between the intensity of dopamine secretion and the frequency of drug use has been demonstrated, researchers still do not fully understand its mechanism of action. Is it the repeated stimulation of the reward circuit that leads to addiction, or is it an inherent sensitivity to addiction that leads to the increased secretion of dopamine? This question is not easy to answer, especially since other factors come into play, such as other aspects of the subject's personal history.
Whatever the answer, the relationship between dopamine and cocaine means that this hormone could be a potential target for treatment against addiction. More research is required before treatments are available, but this study opens a new door in this direction.
McGill University Health Centre
"The ability of cocaine to activate dopamine release varies markedly from person to person. Our study suggests that this is related to how much of the drug the person consumed in the past," explained Dr. Leyton. The more cocaine someone has used in his or her lifetime, the more the brain will secrete dopamine during subsequent cocaine use. "It's possible therefore that the intensity of the reward-circuit response is related to increased susceptibility to addiction," stated Dr. Leyton.
Although the relationship between the intensity of dopamine secretion and the frequency of drug use has been demonstrated, researchers still do not fully understand its mechanism of action. Is it the repeated stimulation of the reward circuit that leads to addiction, or is it an inherent sensitivity to addiction that leads to the increased secretion of dopamine? This question is not easy to answer, especially since other factors come into play, such as other aspects of the subject's personal history.
Whatever the answer, the relationship between dopamine and cocaine means that this hormone could be a potential target for treatment against addiction. More research is required before treatments are available, but this study opens a new door in this direction.
McGill University Health Centre
Cocaine Current Events and Cocaine News RSSWhy can't some people give up cocaine?
Drug dependency is a recurrent but treatable kind of addiction. However, not all people who are drug dependent progress in the same way once they stop taking drugs.
Athletes on performance enhancers more likely to abuse alcohol, other drugs
College athletes who use performance-enhancing substances may be at heightened risk of misusing alcohol and using recreational drugs as well, according to new research in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.
Local health investigation sheds light on gastroschisis birth defect
Results of an investigation conducted by University of Nevada, Reno researchers, public health officials and area physicians published this week in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, indicate that Washoe County experienced a cluster of a particular birth defect, gastroschisis, during the period April 2007 - April 2008.
Stress-induced changes in brain circuitry linked to cocaine relapse
Stress-evoked changes in circuits that regulate serotonin in certain parts of the brain can precipitate a low mood and a relapse in cocaine-seeking, based on mouse studies published online this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Cocaine exposure during pregnancy leads to impulsivity in male, not female, monkeys
Adult male monkeys exposed to cocaine while in the womb have poor impulse control and may be more vulnerable to drug abuse than female monkeys, even a decade or more after the exposure, according to a new study by researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. The findings could lead to a better understanding of human drug abuse.
Think what you eat: Studies point to cellular factors linking diet and behavior
New research released today is affirming a long-held maxim: you are what you eat - and, more to the point, what you eat has a profound influence on the brain.
Global public health the focus of scientific conference
Counterfeit and adulterated food and drugs and advances in measurement science used to detect them emerged as key themes of the Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM) hosted by the U.S. Pharmacopeial (USP) Convention.
Computer Model Shows Changes in Brain Mechanisms for Cocaine Addicts
About 2 million Americans currently use cocaine for its temporary side-effects of euphoria, which have contributed to making it one of the most dangerous and addictive drugs in the country.
Researchers explore long-term adolescent vulnerability to drugs
As part of efforts to understand drug abuse, Georgia State University researchers are finding that adolescent rats appear to be less vulnerable to the long-term effects of withdrawal and relapse in certain types of drug use than rats that take the drugs in adulthood.
Deaths from Unintentional Injuries Increase for Many Groups
While the total mortality rate from unintentional injury increased in the U.S. by 11 percent between 1999 and 2005, far larger increases were seen in some subgroups analyzed by age, race, ethnicity and type of injury by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health's Center for Injury Research and Policy.
More Cocaine Current Events and Cocaine News Articles
 |
Cocaine: An Unauthorized Biography by Dominic Streatfeild (Author) The story of cocaine isn't just about crime and profit; it's about psychoanalysis, about empire building, about exploitation, emancipation, and, ultimately, about power. To tell the story of the twentieth century without reference to this drug and its contribution is to miss a vital and fascinating strand of social history. Streatfeild examines the story of cocaine from its first medical uses to the world-wide chaos it causes today. His research takes him from the arcane reaches of the British Library to the isolation cells of America's most secure prisons; from the crackhouses of New York to the jungles of Bolivia and Colombia. |
 |
Doctor Dealer: The Rise and Fall of an All-American Boy and His Multimillion-Dollar Cocaine Empire by Mark Bowden (Author) Doctor Dealer is the story of Larry Lavin, a bright, charismatic young man who rose from his working-class upbringing to win a scholarship to a prestigious boarding school, earn Ivy League college and dental degrees, and buy his family a house in one of Philadelphia's most exclusive suburbs. But behind the facade of his success was a dark secret -- at every step of the way he was building the foundation for a cocaine empire that would grow to generate over $60 million in annual sales. Award-winning journalist Mark Bowden tells the saga of Lavin's rise and fall with the gripping, novelistic narrative style that won him international acclaim as the author of the New York Times best-seller Black Hawk Down. "Immensely readable . . . eye-popping . . . a smoothly crafted, exciting,... |
 |
Cocaine Cowboys Starring: Jon Roberts, Al Sunshine, Sam Burstyn, Mickey Munday, Bob Palumbo Directed By: Billy Corben Also With: Armando Salas (Cinematographer), Billy Corben (Editor), Billy Corben (Producer), David Cypkin (Editor), David Cypkin (Producer), Alfred Spellman (Producer), Bruno del Granado (Producer) IN THE 1980S, RUTHLESS COLOMBIAN COCAINE BARONS INVADED MIAMI WITH A BRAND OF VIOLENCE UNSEEN SINCE PROHIBITION-ERA CHICAGO - AND IT PUT THE CITY ON THE MAP. THIS IS THE TRUE STORY OF HOW MIAMI BECAME THE DRUG, MURDER & CASH CAPITAL OF THE UNITED STATES, TOLD BY THE PEOPLE WHO MADE IT HAPPEN. |
 |
The Cocaine Chronicles by Jervey Tervalon (Editor), Gary Phillips (Editor) NOTHING TO SNORT AT, this ambitious anthology of jaw-grinding criminal behavior is masterfully curated by acclaimed authors Phillips and Tervalon. Cocaine, that most troubling and fascinating of substances is the subject, the subtext, the whys and whereofs in COCAINE CHRONICLES, a collection of original short stories that are funny and harrowing, sad and scary, but at all times riveting. COCAINE CHRONICLES contains tough tales by a cross-section of today's most thought-provoking writers. |
 |
Cocaine by Z-Ro |
 |
The Pleasures of Cocaine by Adam Gottlieb (Author) The Pleasures of Cocaine conveys the impartial facts of the uses and abuses of cocaine. Without bias, many different aspects are covered: History, effects, uses, pleasures, dangers Avoiding abusive side effects Determining quality Substances used to cut coke and thier effects Testing for purity and removing impurities Improving appearance Inside look at dealing Cultivation of coca plants Coca leaf botany |
 |
Enjoy Cocaine Fine Jersey T-Shirt, Poppy, M by Solid Gold Bomb Our finest t-shirt offering ever! Printed on the American Apparel 2001 Fine Jersey Short Sleeve T-Shirt. Made of 100% fine ring-spun combed cotton (Heather Grey contains 10% Polyester), this lightweight fine jersey is exceptionally smooth and tight-knit, making it just as opaque as a much heavier fabric. Made in USA/Printed in the UK, superior color fastness, minimal shrinkage, fabric weight 4.3 oz (146gsm). Sizing Instructions - The following measurements are displayed in both inches and centimeters. A half chest measurement can be made with an existing garment, flat on a table, measured across the chest from the base of the under arms. Sleeve Length - XS: 8"/20cm; S: 8.25"/21cm; M: 8.5"/22cm; L: 8.75"/22cm; XL: 9"/23cm; 2XL: 9.25"/23cm; 3XL: 9.5"/24cm Half... |
 |
Cocaine Cowboys 2 - Hustlin' With The Godmother Starring: Charles Cosby, Griselda Blanco Directed By: Billy Corben Charles Cosby's life is changed forever when he writes a fan letter to the "Cocaine Godmother" Griselda Blanco, who is serving time in a federal prison. Six months later, Cosby is a multi-millionaire, Blanco's lover, and the head of her $40 million a year cocaine business. Also known as "The Black Widow" for her propensity to permanently dispose of her men when she's done with them, Blanco stops at nothing to ensure that Charles is faithful. Cosby soon learns he's in way over his head. |
 |
Andean Cocaine: The Making of a Global Drug by Paul Gootenberg (Author) Illuminating a hidden and fascinating chapter in the history of globalization, Paul Gootenberg chronicles the rise of one of the most spectacular and now illegal Latin American exports: cocaine. Gootenberg traces cocaine's history from its origins as a medical commodity in the nineteenth century to its repression during the early twentieth century and its dramatic reemergence as an illicit good after World War II. Connecting the story of the drug's transformations is a host of people, products, and processes: Sigmund Freud, Coca-Cola, and Pablo Escobar all make appearances, exemplifying the global influences that have shaped the history of cocaine. But Gootenberg decenters the familiar story to uncover the roles played by hitherto obscure but vital Andean actors as well--for example,... |
 |
Cocaine Eric Clapton (Primary Contributor) |
| © 2009 BrightSurf.com |