PSYC 311 Chapter Notes - Chapter 18.2: Tegmentum, Mesolimbic Pathway, Nacionalista Party

• School: McGill University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 311
• Professor: Michalakis Petrides

Document Summary

Different drugs stimulate the release of dopamine in different ways. The fact that the reinforcing properties of addictive drugs involves the same brain mechanisms as natural reinforcers indicates that these drugs hijack brain mechanisms that normally allow us to adapt to our environments. 2 weeks, the changes in the vta persist. Synaptic changes that are responsible for the compulsive behaviours that characterize addiction occur only after continued used of an addictive drug: the most important changes appear to occur in the dorsal striatum. We know that the basal ganglia, which include the dorsal striatum, play an important role in instrumental conditioning, and the process of addiction is just that. At first, the potential addict experiences the pleasurable effects of the drug, reinforcing the behaviours that cause the drug to be delivered to the brain. Monkeys performing a response reinforced by cocaine over a long period showed a progression of neural changes beginning in the ventral striatum, i. e. the.