Author: Gary Jackson

How does cocaine produce its effects? National Institute on Drug Abuse NIDA

The drug achieves its main immediate psychological effect—the high—by causing a buildup of the neurochemical dopamine. If you or a loved one is using cocaine or misusing other substances, reach out to a healthcare provider for help. If a health event prompted your visit to your doctor, they’ll recommend treatment options and help supervise your withdrawal once you’re stable. If you reach out to your doctor about your cocaine use, they will start by asking you questions about your lifestyle, habits, usage, and dosage. It’s important to be straightforward and honest so you can get the right treatment.

Although many studies have assessed alterations in cognitive function of cocaine abusers after the cessation of drug use (Bolla et al., 2004; Bolla et al., 2003; Gottschalk et al., 2001), few studies have directly addressed the question of the persistence or potential changes in these abnormalities over the course of abstinence. One of the first and only longitudinal studies in this field was done by Volkow and colleagues (1991). They demonstrated that cerebral metabolism in the basal ganglia and ventral prefrontal cortex of cocaine abusers was elevated above control levels during the first week of abstinence (Volkow et al., 1991b). After 1 to 6 weeks of abstinence however, these acutely elevated cerebral metabolic rates had decreased. These decreases persisted in a subset of subjects tested again after 3 months, suggesting that many neurofunctional abnormalities persist after extended abstinence from cocaine.

Cocaine Research Report

It is tempting to speculate, though, that the presence of ΔFosB in the frontal cortex may contribute to the loss of frontal cortex control over cocaine urges that is seen in addiction. Although we do not yet have direct evidence of this possibility, it represents an additional mechanism by which ΔFosB may contribute to a state of addiction. But are such neuroadaptations permanent even with the cessation of cocaine exposure? Does the cessation of drug use lead to a restoration of structure and function disrupted during exposure? The research was motivated by observations from human functional brain imaging studies suggesting chronic cocaine use alters connectivity within and between the major brain networks.

• While several research groups have isolated traits that predict better than average treatment outcomes in cocaine users (Kampman et al., 2002; Poling et al., 2007; Sinha et al., 2007) there are still no FDA approved medications for cocaine dependence.
• Over a period of 10 days followed by abstinence, researchers observed significant alterations in network communication, particularly between the DMN and SN.
• Cocaine prevents the breakdown of dopamine, leading to a buildup of large amounts of it in the brain.
• Researchers needed a longitudinal animal model to understand the relationship between brain connectivity and the development of cocaine dependence, as well as changes during abstinence.
• While very little information is currently available on the neurobiological mechanisms underlying psychosocial treatments, this is a topic of great interest.

Relative to the controls, the sibling pairs (both the user and non-user) had region specific differences in gray matter density in multiple brain regions that are implicated in addiction (e.g. lower gray matter density in the posterior insula and higher density in the caudate). Between the siblings, the stimulant dependent individual had significantly lower tissue density in the vicinity of the orbitofrontal cortex. The relationship between cocaine abstinence and neural tissue integrity however, is unclear and has not been studied in a longitudinal manner.

What Are the Symptoms Of Cocaine Withdrawal?

There’s no one standard medication prescribed to help detox from cocaine, but medications can help treat symptoms such as depression or fatigue. When a person cuts back on their cocaine use or stops cocaine use completely, symptoms of withdrawal occur. A person will feel a strong craving for more cocaine, and physical and mental symptoms can be difficult to manage. Prolonged cocaine use causes your body to adjust to these elevated levels of brain chemicals. Quitting cocaine is a positive step that can decrease your risk of death and improve your overall health. Several studies have now documented specific disruptions of baseline frontal-striatal circuitry in cocaine users (Gu et al., 2010; Hanlon et al., 2011b; Ma et al., 2010).

Decades of robust molecular, genetic, cellular, and neural systems level studies have provided important insights in this area. One important approach that has been used in both human and animal models of chronic cocaine use is neuroimaging. This approach encompasses a wide range of in vivo and in vitro techniques capable of assessing neural function and structure, such as positron emission tomography (PET), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), diffusion tensor imaging, tissue morphometry, metabolic mapping, and receptor autoradiography, among others.

Mental symptoms of a cocaine withdrawal

The functional activity in the subcortical areas, however, did not vary as a function of length of abstinence. While these data are preliminary, cross-sectional, and from a limited sample, the results complement Connolly et al. (2012) and suggest that long-term abstinence from cocaine in humans may be more related to neural activity in the frontal cortex rather than the subcortical areas. It is tempting to speculate that these animals with higher basal rates of glucose metabolism in the prefrontal cortex may be most likely to exhibit greater behavioral recovery, based on findings described earlier in human cocaine abusers.