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Updated: May 28, 2026
07:51
A Protocol for Measuring Cue Reactivity in a Rat Model of Cocaine Use Disorder
Published on: June 18, 2018
The interplay between brain 5-hydroxytryptamine levels and cocaine addiction.
Lourens J P Nonkes1, Inge P G van Bussel, Michel M M Verheij
1Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Centre for Neuroscience Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Behavioural Pharmacology
|October 22, 2011
Summary
Serotonin (5-HT) significantly influences cocaine
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pharmacology
- Addiction Research
Background:
- Cocaine addiction is a widespread health issue impacting millions globally.
- Cocaine's mechanism involves inhibiting dopamine, noradrenaline, and serotonin (5-HT) reuptake.
- The role of serotonin in cocaine's addictive potential remains unclear despite its known effects on brain function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the effects of cocaine on central serotonin (5-HT) function.
- To elucidate the contribution of serotonin to cocaine's rewarding, aversive, discriminative, subjective, motivational, and reinforcing effects.
- To analyze net changes in extracellular serotonin levels following acute and chronic cocaine exposure and their influence on cocaine abuse behaviors.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing pharmacological studies and cocaine use-related disease states affecting brain serotonin.
- Focus on net changes in extracellular serotonin levels.
- Analysis of how these changes impact cocaine abuse-related behaviors.
Main Results:
- Serotonin (5-HT) plays a crucial role in cocaine's psychomotor stimulant, rewarding, and discriminative effects.
- Serotonin influences the motivational and reinforcing properties of cocaine.
- Serotonin partially mediates the aversive effects associated with cocaine use.
Conclusions:
- Serotonin (5-HT) is a key neurotransmitter modulating multiple facets of cocaine's effects, including its stimulant and rewarding properties.
- Understanding serotonin's role is vital for developing effective interventions for cocaine addiction.
- Further research is needed to address complexities in data interpretation regarding serotonin's function in cocaine addiction.
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