PSYC 311 Chapter Notes - Chapter 18.11: Dysphoria, Nacionalista Party, Anhedonia
9 Jun 2016
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The reinforcing effects of cocaine and amphetamine are primarily a result of the sharply increased levels of dopamine they produce in the nac. Drugs that block dopamine receptors certainly block the reinforcing effects of these drugs, but they also produce dysphoria and anhedonia: people do not tolerate these feelings and so these are not efficient drugs. Drugs that stimulate dopamine receptors can reduce a person"s dependence on amphetamine and cocaine, but these drugs are just as addictive as the ones they replace and have the same health problems associated. One interesting approach manage to stimulate rats" immune systems to develop antibodies to cocaine. The antibodies bound with molecules of cocaine and prevented them from crossing the blood-brain barrier. In consequence, these immunized rats were less sensitive to the activating effects of cocaine and brain levels of cocaine in these animals was lower after an injection. A review has reported that deep brain stimulation of the nac,
