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Cocaine addiction: hypothesis derived from imaging studies with PET
N D Volkow1, Y S Ding, J S Fowler
1Medical Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY 11973, USA.
Journal of Addictive Diseases
|January 1, 1996
Summary
Cocaine
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pharmacology
- Addiction Research
Background:
- Cocaine's psychoactive effects are linked to dopamine transporter (DAT) interaction.
- Fast pharmacokinetics, not just DAT affinity, contribute to cocaine's unique properties.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of cocaine's pharmacokinetics in its addictive potential.
- To explore the neural circuitry affected by chronic cocaine use.
Main Methods:
- Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging in humans.
- Comparative analysis of cocaine and methylphenidate brain dynamics.
Main Results:
- Cocaine exhibits rapid brain uptake and clearance, unlike methylphenidate.
- This rapid cycling may lead to abnormal activation of a specific brain circuit (orbitofrontal cortex, cingulate gyrus, thalamus, striatum).
Conclusions:
- Fast pharmacokinetics are crucial to cocaine's addictive nature.
- Chronic cocaine use may alter brain circuits, driving compulsive drug-seeking behavior and loss of control.