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The effect of these structural changes on behavior is uncertain and studies have produced conflicting results. Two studies [18] [19] have shown that an increase in dendritic spine density due to cocaine exposure facilitates behavioral sensitization, while two other studies [20] [21] produce contradicting evidence.
Cocaine also blocks the serotonin transporter and norepinephrine transporter, inhibiting reuptake of serotonin and norepinephrine from the synaptic cleft into the pre-synaptic axon terminal and increasing activation of serotonin receptors and norepinephrine receptors in the post-synaptic neuron, contributing to the mental and physical effects ...
These chemicals inhibit the action of DAT and, to a lesser extent, the other monoamine transporters, but their effects are mediated by separate mechanisms. Monoamine transporters are established targets for many pharmacological agents that affect brain function, including the psychostimulants cocaine and amphetamine. Cocaine and amphetamine ...
Cocaine's mechanism of action in the human brain includes the inhibition of dopamine reuptake, [49] which accounts for cocaine's addictive properties, as dopamine is the critical neurotransmitter for reward. However, cocaine is more active in the dopaminergic neurons of the ventral tegmental area than the substantia nigra.
6531 13162 Ensembl ENSG00000142319 ENSG00000276996 ENSMUSG00000021609 UniProt Q01959 Q61327 RefSeq (mRNA) NM_001044 NM_010020 RefSeq (protein) NP_001035 NP_034150 Location (UCSC) Chr 5: 1.39 – 1.45 Mb Chr 13: 73.68 – 73.73 Mb PubMed search Wikidata View/Edit Human View/Edit Mouse The dopamine transporter (DAT, also sodium-dependent dopamine transporter) is a membrane-spanning protein coded ...
One form of behavioral neuropharmacology focuses on the study of drug dependence and how drug addiction affects the human mind. Most research has shown that the major part of the brain that reinforces addiction through neurochemical reward is the nucleus accumbens. The image to the right shows how dopamine is projected into this area.
An addictive drug is defined as a substance that affects the mesolimbic system directly or indirectly by increasing extracellular levels of dopamine. [ 24 ] Common addictive substances such as cocaine , alcohol , and nicotine have been shown to increase extracellular levels of dopamine within the mesolimbic pathway, preferentially within the ...
The structure of cocaine with relevant structural motifs for activity at the dopamine transporter highlighted. While it was originally thought that the 2β-carbomethoxy moiety interacted with the DAT through hydrogen bonding, subsequent research has indicated that electrostatic (ionic) interactions are the primary means of interactions with the DAT.