Cocaine

Question 1

Where does cocaine come from?

Answer 1

Coca Leaf

Question 2

Routes of Administration

Answer 2

Nasal, intravenous, smoked, oral

Question 3

What two areas of the brain make dopamine?

Answer 3

VTA + Substantia Nigra

Question 4

What does cocaine do in the brain?

Answer 4

-Blocks DA + 5-HT reuptake (leads to more of each in the synapse)
-high affinity for DA and not 5-HT
-Blocks NE transporters but with less potency and efficiency

Question 5

What does NE do?

Answer 5

NE works on sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) and makes you overanxious (bc transporters are being blocked by cocaine)
NE acts on adrengric receptors
a2, excitatory, in the brain
a1, inhibitory, in the spinal cord

Question 6

Cocaine Low responders

Answer 6

-more baseline levels of DAT, but not effective at dopamine reuptake
-with cocaine in system, 50% of DAT are antagonized, leads to slight increase in dopamine levels

Question 7

Cocaine high responders

Answer 7

-low levels of DAT, more effective at reuptaking dopamine
-100% of DAT are antagonized, large increase in dopamine levels

Question 8

What happens in chronic cocaine use?

Answer 8

chronic cocaine use stops dopamine transmission -> desensitizes DA proteins, making proteins stop working as well
-takes more cocaine to get same high
- Don’t do drugs kids smh

Question 9

Hypofunctioning

Answer 9

Lower dopamine release to rewarding events
- body starts to overcompensate for the lack of DA transporters, changes transporters to match cocaine use (Low & High)

Question 10

What happens when you stop doing cocaine (like a normal person)

Answer 10

long term abstinence leads to a increase desire for cocaine and incubation of craving
- body starts to enhance dopamine transmission (reuptake of DA was previously blocked)