How Genes Contribute to Cocaine Drug Abuse

In a recent article, Cocaine-linked Gene Enhance Behavioral Effects of Addiction, genealogy research has found that cocaine alters a certain area of the brain that is responsible for changes in behavior.  The scientists found that the gene expression in the nucleus accumnens (NAc) influences a person’s motivation, pleasure, and reward he/she experiences from using cocaine.

How it Explains Cocaine Drug Abuse

The biological effects of cocaine help explain the reason why so many addicts choose cocaine as their drug of choice.  From the first hit of cocaine, a person feels an overwhelming sense of pleasure.  Just think of the last time you really craved something and then how you felt after you finally were able to eat it.  Now what if that level of satisfaction doubled, tripled or even quadrupled?  It’s hard to imagine, isn’t it?  Well, cocaine is powerful and has the power to alter your mind to feel pleasure that strongly.

Once a cocaine user has that strong pleasurable experience, he/she seeks the drug repeatedly to feel that way again.  This is the motivation part of how cocaine alters the NAc.  The motivation to acquire the drug is relentless.  Once the person finally does score his/her next hit, the reward is intense pleasure again.

This is how the vicious cycle of how someone becomes a cocaine drug addict.  What’s interesting is that the cycle was stimulated by the cocaine and is also fueled by it.

The Benefit of Gene Research in Drug Abuse

One of the reasons why scientists study the effects of drugs on the brain is to discover new treatment options for the addict.  Knowing how a drug affects a gene will help scientists find other drugs to alter the same gene so that an addict can experience the same reward without using cocaine.  This can help the person withdraw from the drug by taking lower doses of the treatment drug until the person no longer feels motivated to receive the reward of that indescribable pleasure.

(Photo Credit: Foxtongue on Flickr)

May 18th, 2009 by Marcelina Hardy | Posted in Genetics and Society | (1)