«Our goal was to discover the brain mechanisms responsible for
the rewarding effects of the drug and the motivation to seek it even after long periods of abstinence,» says Cowan.
Marijuana, like other drugs of abuse, stimulates brain dopamine (DA) signaling in the nucleus accumbens (1, 2), which is a mechanism believed to underlie
the rewarding effects of drugs (3 ⇓ — 5) and to trigger the neuroadaptations that result in addiction (reviewed in ref.
Not exact matches
«Over time, the
effect on the
reward centre in the brain is similar to what makes
drug addicts go back for another line
of cocaine.»
Volkow walked through how the analgesic and
rewarding effects of opioids are expressed in pain terminals in the spinal cord and in the brain where the
drugs impact regions that regulate
reward and pleasure.
In people, addictive
drugs desensitise the brain by raising the threshold
of «
reward» activity that is needed to feel satisfied: more
drug is needed to achieve the same
effect.
Giving the bees a
drug to block the neurochemical dopamine, which is related to the
reward system in humans, largely reversed the
effects of the treat, indicating that these
effects were down to dopamine making them feel good.
«It's not just the positive,
rewarding effects of cocaine that drive this desire to seek the
drug» he said.
The
reward - related, or «hedonic,» component is centralized in the mesolimbic dopamine system, areas
of the brain usually referenced when we talk about the
effects of sex,
drugs and rock»n' roll.
Moreover, rats rejected drink
rewards spiked with insulin - blocking
drugs in favor
of drinks that let them feel insulin's
effects.
They analyzed the
drugs»
effects on the release
of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that evokes feelings
of pleasure and
reward, in a region
of the brain known as the nucleus accumbens.
Opiate addiction is largely controlled by the formation
of powerful
reward memories that link the pleasurable
effects of opiate - class
drugs to environmental triggers that induce
drug craving in individuals addicted to opiates.
More recently, Dr. Parsons has explored the involvement
of endogenous cannabinoid signaling in the
rewarding effects of abused
drugs.
Dr. Parsons has provided similar insights into the mechanisms through which endocannabinoids modulate the
rewarding effects of opiates, alcohol, and cocaine, and he is presently extending his evaluations
of this stage
of the addiction cycle to include animal models
of commonly occurring genetic polymorphisms that are associated with problematic
drug use and dependence in humans.
While the subjective
effects of nicotine and cocaine are very different in humans, the overlapping
effects of the two
drugs on the
reward system
of the brain may explain why both are highly addictive substances, the researchers said.
Neurons that originate in the VTA release the neurotransmitter dopamine, known to play a central role in the
effects of addictive
drugs and natural
rewards such as food and sex.
«Early exposure to nicotine primes the brain to the
rewarding effects of other
drugs.
As smoking in our country has gone down, that may have served to prevent the
rewarding effects of other
drugs.»
Since the identical brain «
reward pathways» are used by both types
of drugs, they can be equally addictive and also may cause side
effects like memory loss, hip fractures, impaired thinking, and dizziness.
Animal studies show oxytocin can boost the
reward of social connection, lower the
effect of drugs, reduce anxiety, and improve management
of stressors.