Research study from the University of Geneva reveals that impulsivity affects cocaine abuse risk not by changing dopamine production but through other mechanisms, suggesting brand-new instructions for understanding and treating drug abuse vulnerability.A team from UNIGE has demonstrated that the production of dopamine, often referred to as the “happiness hormonal agent,” is not linked to a higher danger of drug susceptibility.Why do some individuals who try drugs struggle with compound abuse while others do not? The reasons for these distinctions are unknown.Cocaine does not impact dopamine production capacityIn a recent study, a UNIGE group explored the complex interaction between different impulsive habits, the production of dopamine, and the use of drugs, more particularly cocaine. These animals were trained to self-administer cocaine at a dose that triggers dopamine neuroadaptations without damaging their health.Index of dopamine synthesis capacity, in high- and low-impulsive rats before and after repeated cocaine self-administration. Our results oppose this presumption as both populations of rats retained the exact same capability to produce dopamine, despite chronic intake,” discusses Nathalie Ginovart, Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and the Department of Basic Neurosciences at the UNIGE Faculty of Medicine, who led this research.Identifying other mechanismsThese outcomes suggest dopamine synthesis is probably not the main chauffeur of impulsivity or vulnerability to drug usage.
Research study from the University of Geneva exposes that impulsivity impacts cocaine abuse threat not by modifying dopamine production but through other systems, suggesting brand-new directions for understanding and treating drug abuse vulnerability.A team from UNIGE has demonstrated that the production of dopamine, frequently referred to as the “happiness hormonal agent,” is not connected to a greater danger of drug susceptibility.Why do some individuals who try drugs struggle with substance abuse while others dont? This concern has actually long puzzled researchers. A group from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) checked out the complicated interplay in between characteristic and brain chemistry.The researchers studied the function of impulsivity and the production of dopamine– the so-called “happiness hormonal agent”– in influencing the threat of drug abuse. These outcomes, published in eNeuro, offer brand-new secrets to comprehending vulnerability to substance abuse, which could result in the advancement of more targeted interventions for people at risk.When an individual takes in an addicting drug, his/her dopamine release rises, developing a “high” sensation. With repeated substance abuse, this dopamine release drops, potentially driving the individual to increase drug usage. This mechanism differs in between people, with some showing a higher propensity to take in the drug while others do not. The reasons for these differences are unknown.Cocaine does not affect dopamine production capacityIn a current study, a UNIGE group explored the complex interaction in between various impulsive habits, the production of dopamine, and the use of drugs, more specifically drug. Does an impulsive character increase the vulnerability to substance abuse? Does a spontaneous private produce basically dopamine? To discover, the researchers studied 2 groups of rats, one comprised highly impulsive people, the other of less spontaneous ones. These animals were trained to self-administer cocaine at a dose that triggers dopamine neuroadaptations without hurting their health.Index of dopamine synthesis capability, in high- and low-impulsive rats before and after repeated drug self-administration. Credit: 2024 Urueña-Ménedez et al.Scientists very first trained the animals in a betting job to determine 2 impulsive behaviors: spontaneous action– the failure to manage automated actions– and dangerous decision-making– the acceptance of more risk when making choices. Scientists then determined the level of dopamine synthesis utilizing a non-invasive neuroimaging technique before and after cocaine intake in the 2 groups of rats. They found that spontaneous action, but not dangerous decision-making, anticipated a higher number of cocaine injections and faster drug usage.” However, we observed that there was no distinction in the capacity to produce dopamine between the extremely impulsive and less spontaneous animals. Simply put, impulsivity and vulnerability to drug abuse may not be connected to dopamine production, however to mechanisms controlling its release,” describes Ginna Paola Urueña-Méndez, PhD. student in the Department of Psychiatry and the Department of Basic Neurosciences in the Faculty of Medicine at the UNIGE, and very first author of the study. The team then evaluated repeated cocaine usage and its effect on dopamine levels in the two groups of rodents. “Till now, the idea that routine cocaine consumption might minimize the capability to produce dopamine was accepted. Our results contradict this presumption as both populations of rats retained the same capacity to produce dopamine, regardless of persistent consumption,” discusses Nathalie Ginovart, Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and the Department of Basic Neurosciences at the UNIGE Faculty of Medicine, who led this research.Identifying other mechanismsThese outcomes recommend dopamine synthesis is most likely not the main motorist of impulsivity or vulnerability to drug use. They also oppose the hypothesis that drug use might directly reduce the capacity to produce dopamine.This work represents a significant advance in research into the risk of drug abuse. It opens the door to checking out other systems that might explain specific vulnerability to drugs. “This variation in vulnerability could be connected to differences in the relative reactivity of dopaminergic nerve cells, so that certain stimuli, including drugs, are more prominent for more impulsive animals,” state the scientists. The group is currently continuing its research to assess how mechanisms managing dopamine neuron reactivity impact vulnerability to abuse drugs.Reference: “Decoupling Dopamine Synthesis from Impulsive Action, Risk-Related Decision-Making, and Propensity to Cocaine Intake: A Longitudinal [18F] -FDOPA PET Study in Roman High- and Low-Avoidance Rats” by Ginna Urueña-Méndez, Chloé Arrondeau, Lidia Bellés and Nathalie Ginovart, 22 January 2024, eNeuro.DOI: 10.1523/ ENEURO.0492-23.2023.