Chronic cocaine disrupts mesocortical learning mechanisms

Prior cocaine exposure disrupts extinction of fear conditioning.

Psychostimulant exposure has been shown to cause molecular and cellular changes in prefrontal cortex. It has been hypothesized that these drug-induced changes might affect the operation of prefrontal-limbic circuits, disrupting their normal role in controlling behavior and thereby leading to compulsive drug-seeking. To test this hypothesis, we tested cocaine-treated rats in a fear conditioning,...

Neurocognitive Mechanisms in Cocaine Users

Volume 1 • Issue 1 • 1000e102 J Alcoholism Drug Depend ISSN: 2329-6488 JALDD, an open access journal According to the 2011 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, approximately 36.9 million Americans aged 12 or older had tried cocaine at least once in their lifetimes, representing 14.3% of this population. In spite of extensive and persistent use of cocaine in youth and young adults, the neuroc...

Mechanisms of acute cocaine toxicity.

Patients with acute cocaine poisoning present with life-threatening symptoms involving several organ systems. While the effects of cocaine are myriad, they are the result of a limited number of cocaine-protein interactions, including monoamine transporters, neurotransmitter receptors and voltage-gated ion channels. These primary interactions trigger a cascade of events that ultimately produce t...

Mechanisms of Cocaine Abuse and Toxicity

Mobile phone exposure during pregnancy disrupts learning and memory in rat offsprings

Abstract Introduction: Mobile phones create high-frequency electromagnetic fields around them when in use. The close proximity of mobile phones to the user’s head leads to the absorption of part of the electromagnetic waves into the head and the brain. Methods: We have elucidated the alteration in cognitive function of the male and female offspring rats, which were exposed to chronic mobi...