CART peptide is known for having an inhibitory effect on cocaine- and dopamine-mediated actions after acute administration of cocaine and dopamine. In this regard, it is postulated to be a homeostatic, regulatory factor on dopaminergic activity in the nucleus accumbens (NAc). However, there is no data on the effect of CART peptide after chronic administration of cocaine, and this study addresse...

There are sex differences in the vulnerability to cocaine abuse and addiction. Understanding the differences is critical for developing the sex-tailored prevention and treatment strategies. Cocaine addiction is characterized by the pathological motivation for cocaine accompanied by the diminished motivation for natural rewards. Thus, the motivational impact of cocaine relative to natural reward...

College students have high rates of heavy drinking and other risky behaviors, but little is known about trends in their use of cocaine. In this longitudinal study of 1253 college students at one large, public university in the mid-Atlantic region, annual interviews assessed opportunity to use cocaine, cocaine use, and DSM-IV criteria for cocaine abuse and dependence. Follow-up rates exceeded 87...

Of a randomly selected sample of 214 patients treated with aversion therapy for cocaine dependence in four chemical dependency units operated by Schick Shadel Hospitals, 156 were followed up 12 to 20 months posttreatment (average 15.2 months). Significant other validation was obtained in 33%. Total abstinence from cocaine for the group overall was 53% at one year post treatment, and current abs...

Addiction to cocaine is associated with persistent changes in synaptic function. The cycling of actin between polymerized [F (for filamentous)] and depolymerized forms contributes to synaptic plasticity, and acute and withdrawal from repeated cocaine administration produced reversible and enduring elevations, respectively, in F-actin in the nucleus accumbens. Increased F-actin after 3 weeks wit...

There is a large unmet medical need for cocaine addiction treatments. Studies have indicated that the dopamine transporter (DAT) is the primary biological target of cocaine, and most drugs that have DAT affinity have behavioral effects like those of cocaine. However, analogs of benztropine have high DAT affinity and behavioral effects that show varying degrees of similarity to cocaine. We now r...

Previous literature investigating neurobiological adaptations following cocaine self-administration has shown that high, continuous levels of cocaine intake (long access; LgA) results in reduced potency of cocaine at the dopamine transporter (DAT), whereas an intermittent pattern of cocaine administration (intermittent access; IntA) results in sensitization of cocaine potency at the DAT. Here, ...

Changes in a patient’s patterns of cocaine use are generally considered an important outcome measure of treatment efficacy. Other treatment outcome measures are important as well, but if a treatment does not stop or significantly decrease the intensity of a cocaine addict’s cocaine use, many would question the treatment’s efficacy. Examination of a patient’s urine for evidence of cocaine or coc...

Sweat collection patches are used for drug abuse monitoring. We investigated the effect of sweat patch location (back and shoulder) on cocaine levels after controlled intravenous cocaine exposure (210 mg/70 kg) in 12 subjects (Experiment 1). Gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric analyses show cocaine and metabolites levels in Pharmchek trade mark patches were eightfold higher on the back than ...

Cocaine and nicotine have a number of similar behavioral and neurobiological effects. This study compared the acute effects of cocaine and cigarette smoking on luteinizing hormone (LH), testosterone (T), and prolactin. Twenty-four men who met American Psychiatric Association Diagnostic and Statistical Manual criteria for cocaine abuse or nicotine dependence were given intravenous cocaine (0.4 m...