Monoamine Transporters in Drugs of Abuse: Insights from Fast Scan Cyclic Voltammetry

Monoamine transmission is critical for regulating numerous physiological processes, including stress, learning, motor activity, and reward. Over the past few decades, the adoption of fast scan cyclic voltammetry has unveiled an intricate interplay between monoamine release and uptake dynamics, particularly concerning monoamine transporter involvement in reward and reinforcement processes for drugs of abuse. This review discusses how fast scan cyclic voltammetry has revolutionized our understanding of the processes that govern monoamine release and uptake, emphasizing the heterogeneity in transporter function across terminal regions, the influence of autoreceptors on monoamine transmission, and the complex interactions between drugs of abuse and monoamine transporters. While much of the review focuses on what is known about dopamine transporters-due to the wealth of evidence on dopamine transmission-we also emphasize significant gaps in knowledge regarding the serotonin and norepinephrine transporters. Finally, we highlight remaining questions about the dynamic nature of monoaminergic transporter efficiency and suggest new areas of investigation to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the biochemical mechanisms through which monoamine transporters regulate behavior.