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Pittsburgh, US (pte042/21.07.2005/15:51) - A new study done by neuroscientists in Pittsburgh, has found that cocaine use may disrupt connections between brain regions. The results may explain the compulsive and erratic behaviour of cocaine addicts.
The scientists Yuriori Goto and Anthony Grace at the University of Pittsburgh http://www.pitt.edu/ , studied the two parts of the brain, the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus - the one involved with learning, memory and processing information - and the the nucleus accumbens in the limbic system, which is involved with pleasure seeking, emotion and reward behaviour.
These two regions are usually connected by information, which is sent to and fro, allowing 'plasticity' of thought, so that behaviour can be modified and adapted to different situations.
Based on their study on rats' reaction to cocaine, Goto and Grace believe that the drug disrupts these connections and over-stimulates the limbic system.
"It may explain why cocaine addicts are oriented towards pleasure rather than other goals, and have an impaired ability to make decisions. It could be why addicts go back to taking more of the drug and ex-addicts often become addicted again faster than those who have never taken it," said Grace.
The scientists carried out a behavioural analysis on the rats after they had been injected with cocaine. They found that the normal 'plasticity' was interrupted: the neurons in the limbic area began over-firing.
After a series of experiments that involved comparing the responses of drugged rats to non-drugged ones, the researchers found that the cocaine appeared to interfere with the rodents' adaptation abilities. "The cocaine was producing a deficit in their learning response strategy," Grace suggested.
The scientists hope to use their research in discovering more about schizophrenia, which is linked to the brain regions studied, and also to find out more about drug addiction treatment.
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