Cocaine Addiction

1 Pages 243 Words

Describe the manner in which cocaine is said to stimulate the brain and discuss how this action contributes to the rapid establishment of addiction?

As defined by the American Psychiatric Association, addiction is a "chronically relapsing disorder that is characterized by three major elements: compulsion to seek and take the drug, loss of control in limiting intake, and emergence of a negative emotional state when access to the drug is prevented" . This disorder results from the repeated use of a drug over a prolonged period of time, causing physical changes in the brain. Perhaps the most addictive of drugs is cocaine. Cocaine acts on the mesoaccumbens dopamine pathway of the midbrain. This part of the brain is commonly referred to as the reward pathway, as it is the area of the brain that is activated when someone has a pleasurable experience such as eating, sex, or receiving praise. In the DA pathway of a normal person, a transmitting neuron releases dopamine (a neurotransmitter), which then binds to dopamine receptors on the receiving neuron. After this has occurred, the dopamine reuptake transporters of the transmitting cell pump the dopamine back into the cell to be used again. Cocaine binds to the dopamine reuptake transporters, thus blocking them from functioning. As a result, dopamine levels increase in the synapse, and consequently, the receiving neuron is continuously stimulated. This constant firing of the neurons leads to a feeling of euphoria....