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Cocaine is the primary illegal drug smuggled through maritime routes because all of its cultivation and production is settled in the Andean region of South America. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] The smuggling of drugs through the sea is a security problem for all the countries of the region.
Cocaine stimulates the mesolimbic pathway in the brain. [15] Mental effects may include an intense feeling of happiness, sexual arousal, loss of contact with reality, or agitation. [12] Physical effects may include a fast heart rate, sweating, and dilated pupils. [12] High doses can result in high blood pressure or high body temperature. [16]
Cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript, also known as CART, is a neuropeptide protein that in humans is encoded by the CARTPT gene. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] CART appears to have roles in reward, feeding, and stress, [ 3 ] and it has the functional properties of an endogenous psychostimulant .
The illegal drug trade in Latin America concerns primarily the production and sale of cocaine and cannabis, including the export of these banned substances to the United States and Europe. The coca cultivation is concentrated in the Andes of South America, particularly in Colombia, Peru and Bolivia; this is the world's only source region for ...
In the United States, past year cocaine users in 2019 was 5.5 million for people aged 12 or older. When broken into age groups, ages 12–17 had 97,000 users; ages 18–25 had 1.8 million users and ages 26 or older had 3.6 million users. [10] Past year cocaine users with a cocaine use disorder in 2019 was 1 million for people aged 12 or older.
Neuropharmacology is a very broad region of science that encompasses many aspects of the nervous system from single neuron manipulation to entire areas of the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves. To better understand the basis behind drug development, one must first understand how neurons communicate with one another. [citation needed]
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.
A psychoactive drug, mind-altering drug, or consciousness-altering drug is a chemical substance that changes brain function and results in alterations in perception, mood, consciousness, cognition, or behavior. [1] The term psychotropic drug is often used interchangeably, while some sources present narrower definitions.