Cocaine behavioral effects

The various stimulants have no obvious chemical relationships and do not share primary neurochemical effects, despite their similar behavioral effects. Cocaines chemical strucmre does not resemble that of caffeine, nicotine, or amphetamine. Cocaine binds to the dopamine reuptake transporter in the central nervous system, effectively inhibiting dopamine reuptake. It has similar effects on the transporters that mediate norepinephrine and serotonin reuptake. As discussed later in this chapter in the section on neurochemical actions mediating stimulant reward, dopamine is very important in the reward system of the brain the increase of dopamine associated with use of cocaine probably accounts for the high dependence potential of the drug. 

Rawson RA, Huber A, McCann M, et al A comparison of contingency management and cognitive-behavioral approaches during methadone maintenance treatment for cocaine dependence. Arch Gen Psychiatry 59 817—824, 2002 Rohsenow DJ, Monti PM, Martin RA, et al Motivational enhancement and coping skills training for cocaine abusers effect on substance use outcomes. Addiction... 

The pharmacological properties of phenylethylamines that control selfadministration are complex. The effects of phenylethylamines on a variety of pharmacological measures do not appear to predict the reinforcing effects of these drugs, as measured by the cocaine substitution procedure in primates. Specifically, none of the following behavioral effects of these compounds accurately predict the results of self-administration experiments within the phenylethylamine class (Griffiths et al. 1976 Griffiths et al. 

Heikkila, R.E., Manzino, L., and Cabbat, F.S., Stereospecific effects of cocaine derivatives on 3H-dopamine uptake correlations with behavioral effects, Subst. Use Misuse, 2, ff5, f98f. 

Haile, C.N., GrandPre, T., Kosten, T.A. Chronic unpredictable stress, but not chronic predictable stress, enhances the sensitivity to the behavioral effects of cocaine in rats. Psychopharmacology. 154 213, 2001. 

Spealman R. Modification of behavioral effect of cocaine by selective serotonin and dopamine uptake inhibitors in squirrel monkeys. Psychopharmacology. 112 93, 1993. 

Matsumoto, R.R. et al., Involvement of sigma receptors in the behavioral effects of cocaine evidence from novel ligands and antisense oligodeoxynucleotides, Neuropharmacology. 42, 1043, 2002. 

McMahon, L. R. and Cunningham, K. A. 2001. Antagonism of 5-hydroxytryptamine 2A receptors attenuates the behavioral effects of cocaine in rats. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Theraphy, 297 357-363. 

Emmett-Oglesby, Michael W., and John D. Lane. 1992. "Tolerance to the Reinforcing Effects of Cocaine." Behavioral Pharmacology 3 193-200. 

Foltin, R.W. et al., Behavioral effects of cocaine alone and in combination with ethanol or marijuana in humans, Drug Alcohol Depend., 32, 93, 1993. 

Mechanism of action As with cocaine, the effects of amphetamine on the CNS and peripheral nervous system are indirect that is, they depend upon an elevation of the level of catecholamine transmitters in synaptic spaces. Amphetamine, however, achieves this effect by releasing intracellular stores of catecholamines (Figure 10.7). Since amphetamine also blocks monoamine oxidase (MAO), high levels of catecholamines are readily released into synaptic spaces. Despite different mechanisms of action, the behavioral effects of amphetamine are similar to those of cocaine. 

The behavioral effects of prenatal cocaine exposure at age 5 years have been studied in 140 children exposed to cocaine, 61 exposed to alcohol, tobacco, and/or marijuana, and 120 not exposed to any drugs (290). They were evaluated with the Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist. There was no association between behavior and intrauterine cocaine exposure. However, the current behavioral health of the mother, including recent drug use and psychological functioning, did affect the child s internalizing and externalizing behavior. 

It has been argued that cocaine exposure effects will be most evident in the domains of attention and affective regulation (Frank 1613,350). It is therefore plausible that the effects of prenatal cocaine exposure may nevertheless become more evident during the development of more advanced motor (351), cognitive (352), language (353), and behavioral skills (354). 

It has been argued that a failure to find enduring behavioral effects of prenatal cocaine exposure in some studies may have been related to the use of broad, relatively insensitive measures (357,358). Furthermore, to judge the effect of prenatal cocaine exposure based on a dichotomous variable (yes/no) may not be an appropriate study design (359,360). 

T Cocaine and amphetamine are virtually indistinguishable in their major physical and behavioral effects. 

Ushijima, I. Carino, M.A. Horita, A. (1995) Involvement of Dx and D2 dopamine systems in the behavioral effects of cocaine in rats. Pharmacol. Biochem. Behav. 52, 737-741. 

The effects of k opioid agonists on dopamine levels also has implications for the treatment of cocaine abuse. Cocaine blocks reuptake of dopamine, and considerable evidence suggests that cocaine s reinforcing effects are mediated by these increases in extracellular dopamine (see Refs. 250, 251 and references cited therein). Because k agonists can decrease dopamine levels, they can ad as functional antagonists of cocaine (250, 251). Several k agonists have been shown to decrease cocaine selfadministration (250-254 but see Ref 255) and K agonists can also attenuate many of the behavioral effects of cocaine (see Ref 250). 

Compounds acting on other receptors may provide an alternative means of modifying the neurobiological and behavioral effects of cocaine by indirectly modulating the... 

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