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GABA system in the prefrontal cortex involved in psychostimulant addiction
Wenjing Shi1,2, Minyu Li2, Ting Zhang2
1Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Kunming University of Science and Technology, No. 727 Jingming South Road, Kunming 650500, Yunnan, China.
Abstract:
Drug addiction is a chronic and relapse brain disorder. Psychostimulants such as cocaine and amphetamine are highly addictive drugs. Abuse drugs target various brain areas in the nervous system. Recent studies have shown that the prefrontal cortex (PFC) plays a key role in regulating addictive behaviors. The PFC is made up of excitatory glutamatergic cells and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABAergic) interneurons. Recently, studies showed that GABA level was related with psychostimulant addiction. In this review, we will introduce the role and mechanism of GABA and γ-aminobutyric acid receptors (GABARs) of the PFC in regulating drug addiction, especially in psychostimulant addiction.
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