PSYD35H3 Chapter Notes - Chapter 4: Mesolimbic Pathway, Frontal Lobe, Cue Reactivity
Document Summary
Approximately one-third of people addicted to an illicit drug or alcohol have a diagnosed comorbid psychiatric disorder, a situation covered by the term dual diagnosis. Withdrawal of the drug will produce unpleasant emotional reactions regardless of the specific substance. Structures include the nucleus accumbens (nac), amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex. The dopamine pathway from the vta to the nac is critical to addiction. Amygdala is involved in mediating the emotional characteristics of drug use. Frontal regions of the cortex synthesize and coordinate. There are other neurons within the vta that interact with the dopamine neurons information and are involved in planning and the inhibitory control of behaviour: some release gaba. The release of gaba inhibits dopamine neurons and normally suppresses dopamine release. Most abused drugs increase the amount of dopamine that is released from the vta: they do not all increase dopamine activity in the same way.
