BIOL 1F25 Lecture Notes - Lecture 15: Medial Forebrain Bundle, Nucleus Accumbens, Dopamine Transporter

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Aim: to understand cocaine"s actions at the synapse. Chemicals move across synaptic cleft and bind to receptors on receiving cell. 1: dopamine is normally recycled into pre-synaptic neuron(enzymes can break it down) Picks up dopamine, transports it and reuses it. 2: occurs via a dopamine transporter molecule on surface of pre-synaptic cell. Dopamine and cocaine have a similar chemical and molecular structure. 3: cocaine attaches to transporter and blocks it. It not take into cells like dopamine and thus blocks the action of dopamine being released from the dopamine transporter. Every time the cell releases dopamine, it is sticking around in the synapse. 4: increase in dopamine levels in synapse. 2: more dopaminergic signaling at receiving neuron(post-synaptic cell) Reward pathways: mesolimbic dopamine pathway called the medial forebrain bundle. With cocaine in the system, dopamine is accumulating in the synapses, and thus over activation of the cells in the nucleus accumbens, this produces the euphoric feeling experienced with cocaine use.

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