Cocaine - Mode of Action Flashcards
Cocaine also works on the reward pathway & dopamine receptors. But?
The process is different to that of nicotine.
Cocaine draws on the idea that there is?
Reuptake by the presynaptic neuron of neurotransmitter left in the synaptic gap.
How does cocaine cause reuptake?
It blocks the binding site on the reuptake receptor and stops the reuptake of dopamine back into the presynaptic neuron.
The blocking of reuptake means that..
… there is excess dopamine in the synapse.
This excess of dopamine leads to…
… over-stimulation at the postsynaptic receptors.
There isn’t a ‘foreign’ substance to bind to the dopamine receptors. Instead…
… there is more dopamine than usual.
The same feeling is achieved as with nicotine.
Why is this?
Because the reward pathway is at work.
As with nicotine, the effect of over-stimulating the dopamine receptors of the postsynaptic neuron is that?
They become damaged and fewer, with the same consequences of desensitisation & addiction.
Cocaine acts on the receptors in the reward pathway within…
… seconds.
What do amphetamines like cocaine do?
They block the reuptake of dopamine, leaving more dopamine in the synapse.
Dopamine is…
… the ‘feel good’ neurotransmitter.
What are amphetamines?
Stimulant drugs - they speed up the messages travelling between the brain and the body.
