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Cocaine and amphetamine-like psychostimulants: neurocircuitry and glutamate neuroplasticity

Year: 2007
Type: article
Abstract: Although the pharmacology of amphetamine-like psychostimulants at dopamine transporters is well understood, addiction to this class of drugs has proven difficult to deal with. The reason for this disconnection is that while the molecular mechanism of amphetamine action is critical to reinforce drug use, it is only the first step in a sequence of widespread neuroplastic events in brain circuitry. This review outlines the affect of psychostimulants on mesocorticolimbic dopamine projections that mediate their reinforcing effect, and how this action ultimately leads to enduring pathological neuroplasticity in glutamatergic projections from the prefrontal cortex to the nucleus accumbens. Molecular neuroadaptations induced by psychostimulant abuse are described in glutamate neurotransmission, and from this information potential pharmacotherapeutic targets are identified, based upon reversing or countermanding psychostimulant-induced neuroplasticity.
DOI: 10.31887/dcns.2007.9.4/pkalivas
Language: English
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4293172102
FWCI: 3.005
Cites: 83
Cited by: 117
Related to: 10