Striatum Inhibition: Clues for Cocaine Addiction Therapy

The human brain's reward system is regulated mainly by three interacting dopaminergic pathways: the mesolimbic and mesocortical pathways projecting from the ventral tegmental area to the nucleus accumbens (ventral striatum) and the prefrontal cortex and the mesostriatal pathway projecting from...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Canadian journal of neurological sciences 2014-09, Vol.41 (5), p.664-665
Main Authors: Boudjani, Hayet, Potvin, Stéphane, Chayer, Céline, Charbonneau, Simon, Lanthier, Sylvain
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Brief Communications
Cocaine-Related Disorders - complications
Cocaine-Related Disorders - diagnosis
Cocaine-Related Disorders - therapy
Corpus Striatum - pathology
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Stroke - diagnosis
Stroke - etiology
Citations: Items that this one cites
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Summary:The human brain's reward system is regulated mainly by three interacting dopaminergic pathways: the mesolimbic and mesocortical pathways projecting from the ventral tegmental area to the nucleus accumbens (ventral striatum) and the prefrontal cortex and the mesostriatal pathway projecting from the substantia nigra to the dorsal striatum.1 Dopamine concentration in the reward circuitry rises when one experiences rewarding or gratifying feelings and decreases with perceptions of unpleasantness. Blockade of presynaptic dopamine transporters by cocaine prevents dopamine reuptake, allowing prolonged dopaminergic stimulation. Recent studies suggest that the mesostriatal pathway, especially involving the dorsolateral striatum (DLS), plays a more important role than previously thought in cocaine addiction.1 We report a clinical case highlighting the impact of a dorsal striatal lesion on cessation of craving for cocaine in a human, suggesting that deep brain stimulation (DBS) might represent a possible future treatment for cocaine addiction.
ISSN:0317-1671
2057-0155
DOI:10.1017/cjn.2014.13