There are lots of people who mistake their imagination for their memory. ~Josh Billings
About 2 million Americans currently use cocaine for its temporary side effects of euphoria, which have contributed to making it one of the most dangerous and addictive drugs in the country. Cocaine addiction, which can cause severe biological and behavioral problems, is very difficult to overcome.
Two researchers at the University of Missouri are utilizing computer models to study how the brain’s chemicals and neuron synapses react to cocaine addiction and what this could mean for future therapies.
“With cocaine addiction, addicts don’t feel an urge to revolt because there is a strong connection in the brain from the decision-making centers to the pleasure center, which overwhelms other normal rewards and is why they keep seeking it,” said researcher Sandeep Pendyam. “By using computational models, we’re targeting the connection in the brain that latches onto the pleasure center and the parameters that maintain that process.”
Glutamate is the major chemical released in the synaptic connections in the brain; the right amount present determines the activity of those connections. Using the computer model, the researchers found that in an addict’s brain excessive glutamate produced in the pleasure center makes the brain’s mechanisms unable to regulate themselves and creates permanent damage, making cocaine addiction a disease that is more than just a behavioral change.