Striatum cocaine dependence

Schoemaker, H., Pimoule, C., Arbilla, S., Scatton, B., Javoy-Agid, R, and Langer, S.Z., Sodium dependent pH]cocaine binding associated with dopamine uptake sites in the rat striatum and human putamen decrease after dopamine denervation and in Parkinson s disease, Naunyn-Schmiedeberg s Arch. Pharmacol., 329, 227, 1985. 

Subchronic oral administration of lithium causes a time-dependent increase in the substance P level in the striatum, which is prevented by coadministration of haloperidol. In PC 12 pheochromocytoma cells, lithium dramatically increases the intracellular levels of the neuropeptide neurotensin and the mRNA encoding it. An extensive overlap between specific and high-affinity neurotensin binding sites and dopamine perikarya and dendrites has been shown to occur in the mesocorticolimbic and nigrostriatal projection systems. Consistent with this observation are the results of observations showing that cocaine, an indirect sympathomimetic agent that enhances the extrapyramidal dopaminergic activity, increases dramatically the striatal content of neurotensin-like immunoreactivity. 

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