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The drugs they studied included cocaine and a few others that have some similarities to cocaine in how they affect the brain. They trained the monkeys to give themselves these drugs through injections and observed their behavior. They wanted to see if the drugs had similar effects on the monkeys.
Locomotor activity is a measure of animal behavior which is employed in scientific research. [1] [2]Hyperlocomotion, also known as locomotor hyperactivity, hyperactivity, or increased locomotor activity, is an effect of certain drugs in animals in which locomotor activity (locomotion) is increased. [3]
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 .
Exposure to psychoactive drugs can cause changes to the brain that counteract or augment some of their effects; these changes may be beneficial or harmful. However, there is a significant amount of evidence that the relapse rate of mental disorders negatively corresponds with the length of properly followed treatment regimens (that is, relapse ...
The effects of KOR agonism on dopamine systems are well documented, and recent work also implicates the mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade and pCREB in KOR-dependent behaviors. [ 40 ] [ 81 ] While the predominant drugs of abuse examined have been cocaine (44%), ethanol (35%), and opioids (24%). [ 82 ]
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.
San Diego sector Border Patrol agents announced the seizure of more than 80 pounds of cocaine in Temecula. The drugs were stashed inside an SUV's false dashboard, authorities said.
Genetic variation in this region also displays influence susceptibility to use drugs of abuse, including cocaine and alcohol consumption. [44] Nicotinic receptors containing α 6 or β 3 subunits expressed in brain regions, especially in the ventral tegmental area and substantia nigra , are important for drug behaviors due to their role in ...