Addiction clues

But exactly what is the great alchemical significance of one motif briefly introduced by Poisson, and later by Duchamp in his Notes, namely Vitriol According to Pemety s dictionary, this substance is truly one of the essential and central symbols of the alchemical pursuit, thus it calls for lengthy clarification. Additionally, Pernety s explanations provide even more information about those critical clues leading towards a better recognition of the real sources of Duchamp s notorious and consistently misunderstood addiction to puns and anagrams ... 

An important clue to dopamine s function in the brain became evident when scientists began to study the biology of drug abuse and addiction. Dopamine is one of the prominent factors. 

For the past century, scientists have struggled to create an opiate that stops pain without creating tolerance and addiction. Today, genetic engineering may provide some clues. 

Balter, Michael (1996). New Clues to Brain Dopamine Control, Cocaine Addiction. Science 271 909. 

For many years, the full scope of cocaine s addictiveness was not understood. The body s clues that it has become addicted—the symptoms of withdrawal from cocaine—are not as obvious as in other addictive drugs. Things like trouble sleeping, changes in energy levels, and increased depression are not always clear and can be explained by a variety of other factors. 

There are numerous behaviors that tend to accompany a young person s addiction that serve as clues for which parents can watch. 

In the late 1970s a substantial clue to the cause of the nerve cell destruction in Parkinson s disease was provided by young drug addicts using the synthetic heroin substitute MPPP (l-methyl-4-phenyl-4-proprionoxypiperidine) (Figure 14B). Several unfortunate individuals, later found to have consumed MPPP, were diagnosed with Parkinson s disease despite their youth and lack of a family history of the disease. Considerable research revealed that under certain reaction conditions the synthesis of MPPP produces a toxic by-product called MPTP (l-methyl-4-phenyl-l,2,3,6-tetrahy-dropyridine). Once it has been consumed, MPTP is converted to MPP+ (l-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium) in the brain by the enzyme monoamine oxidase. After its synthesis, MPP+ is transported by a... 

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