Neurobiology of cocaine abuse

From synapse to vesicle: the reuptake and storage of biogenic amine neurotransmitters

Biogenic amine transport systems in the presynaptic plasma membrane and the synaptic vesicle provide a mechanism for rapidly terminating the action of released transmitters and for recycling neurotransmitters. Alterations in the activity of these transporters, either by endogenous regulatory mechanisms or by drugs, affect the regulation of synaptic transmitter levels. For drugs such as antidepressants and stimulants that interact with these transport systems, the therapeutic and behavioral consequences are profound. Now that the cDNAs encoding the transporters have been isolated, we can expect rapid progress in understanding how the individual proteins work at the molecular level to couple ion gradients to the reuptake and storage of biogenic amine neurotransmitters.

Effects of chronic cocaine administration on the serotonergic system in the rat brain

Male Sprague-Dawley rats received injections of cocaine (20 mg/kg/dose, IP) every 12 h for 14 days and were sacrificed on the 15th day. The chronic cocaine treatment caused an increase in the levels of serotonin [5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)] and its metabolite 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) in the hippocampus. 5-HIAA levels in the frontal cortex were also increased, but 5-HT levels were unaltered by the chronic cocaine treatment. Similarly, striatal levels of 5-HT and 5-HIAA were unchanged by repeated administration of cocaine. Chronic cocaine administration did not alter the density of [3H]8-OH(DPAT), [3H]mesulergine, or [3H]ketanserin binding in the hippocampus, choroid plexus, and frontal cortex, respectively. Furthermore, repeated injection of cocaine did not alter serotonergic-mediated inhibition of adenylate cyclase activity. Thus, repeated administration of cocaine causes region-specific alterations in 5-HT levels but does not change the properties of the 5-HT1A, 5-HT1C, or 5-HT2 receptors.

Alterations in the dopaminergic receptor system after chronic administration of cocaine

Several studies suggest that one of the most important factors contributing to cocaine dependence is an alteration in the actions of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the central nervous system. In order to understand some of the neuroreceptor consequences of cocaine administration, groups of rats were injected with cocaine (2 daily doses of 15 mg/kg) for 1 to 21 days. Binding of [3H]cocaine, [3H]SCH23390, [3H]raclopride, and [3H]BTCP in striatal and cortical tissue from the treated animals was compared to controls. [3H]Cocaine binding was increased by the drug in the striatum and cortex at days 14 and 21, respectively. The binding of [3H]SCH23390 to D1 dopamine receptors was significantly increased at day 3 of cocaine exposure. In striatal membranes, [3H]BTCP binding to dopamine uptake sites was significantly increased after day 7, whereas binding in cortical membranes was increased from day 1. [3H]Raclopride binding to D2 dopamine receptors remained unchanged throughout the study in both cortical and striatal tissues. These results indicate that repeated exposure to cocaine produces an upregulation (possible supersensitivity) in cortical D1, cocaine, and DA-uptake sites which occurs in a time-dependent manner. These increases are coupled with an upregulation in striatal D1, cocaine, and DA-uptake sites, without simultaneous changes in D2 receptors. Thus, cocaine's effects are not uniformly distributed across all brain regions, but rather are focused within areas of the dopamine system.

Cationic and anionic requirements for the binding of 2 beta-carbomethoxy-3 beta-(4-fluorophenyl)[3H]tropane to the dopamine uptake carrier

The present study reports the ion dependency of 2 beta-carbomethoxy-3 beta-(4-fluorophenyl)[3H]tropane ([3H]CFT) binding to the dopamine transporter in the rat striatum. The results indicate that [3H]CFT binding to synaptosomal P2 membranes requires low concentrations of Na+ (peak binding between 20 and 50 mM Na+), is stimulated by phosphate anion or I-, but is unaffected or only slightly affected by F-, Cl-, Br-, NO3-, or SO(4)2-. Concentrations of Na+ of > 50 mM become inhibitory except in the presence of I-, which shifts peak binding levels toward higher Na+ concentrations and also elevates the peak binding level. K+ strongly decreased [3H]CFT binding with a shallow inhibition curve, and Na+ could not overcome this effect. Saturation analysis of [3H]CFT binding revealed a single binding site changing its affinity for CFT depending on the concentration of sodium phosphate buffer (6, 10, 30, 50, 130, or 200 mM; 1 mM plus 49 mM NaCl versus 10 mM plus 40 mM NaCl; or 1 mM plus 129 mM NaI versus 10 mM plus 120 mM NaI). No differences were observed in the density of CFT binding sites between any of the conditions examined.

Decreased dopamine D2 receptor availability is associated with reduced frontal metabolism in cocaine abusers

Decreased dopaminergic function has been postulated to underlie cocaine addiction. To examine the possibility that dysfunction of brain regions subserved by the dopamine system could promote cocaine self-administration, positron emission tomography and a dual-tracer approach was used to examine dopamine D2 receptor availability and regional brain glucose metabolism in cocaine abusers. When compared to normal controls, cocaine abusers showed significant decreases in dopamine D2 receptor availability which persisted 3-4 months after detoxification. Decreases in dopamine D2 receptor availability were associated with decreased metabolism in several regions of the frontal lobes, most markedly orbito-frontal cortex and cingulate gyri. Dopamine dysregulation of these brain areas which are involved in the channeling of drive and affect could lead to loss of control resulting in compulsive drug-taking behavior.

Biosynthesis of dopamine and serotonin in the rat brain after repeated cocaine injections: a microdissection mapping study

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of chronic cocaine on dopamine (DA) and serotonin (5-HT) synthesis in several rat brain regions implicated in drug reinforcement. Male rats were treated twice daily with cocaine (15 mg/kg, ip) or saline for 1 week. After 42 hr of abstinence, rats were challenged with either cocaine (15 mg/kg, ip) or saline, followed by the aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase inhibitor 3-hydroxybenzylhydrazine (NSD-1015; 100 mg/kg, ip). Animals were decapitated 30 min after NSD-1015 and discrete brain regions were microdisected from 300 microns frozen sections. Postmortem tissue levels of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) and 5-hyroxytryptophan (5-HTP) were quantified by HPLC with electrochemical detection and used to estimate biosynthesis of DA and 5-HT, respectively. In chronic saline-treated rats, cocaine dramatically suppressed DA and 5-HT synthesis in all forebrain regions examined, including: medial prefrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens, caudate nucleus, olfactory tubercle, and basolateral amygdala. The degree of inhibition ranged from 35-65% and was more pronounced in 5-HT neurons compared to DA neurons in the same tissue sample. In general, chronic cocaine did not significantly alter basal levels of DOPA or 5-HTP; a notable exception was lateral hypothalamus, where chronic cocaine reduced basal DA synthesis to 75% of control. After repeated cocaine injections, the synthesis-inhibiting effect of a challenge injection of cocaine was attenuated in many brain areas. These data suggest that whereas acute cocaine decreases DA and 5-HT synthesis in forebrain, chronic cocaine is not neurotoxic to DA and 5-HT neurons. In addition, the mechanism(s) mediating cocaine-induced suppression of monoamine synthesis may become desensitized by chronic exposure to the drug.

Expression of a cocaine-sensitive norepinephrine transporter in the human placental syncytiotrophoblast

Maternal-facing brush border membrane vesicles isolated from normal term human placentas were found to accumulate norepinephrine in a concentrative manner in the presence of an inwardly directed NaCl gradient. Both Na+ and Cl- were obligatory for maximal uptake. The NaCl-dependent norepinephrine uptake was further stimulated by the presence of K+ or an acidic pH in the intravesicular medium. The uptake process was electrogenic, being stimulated by an inside-negative membrane potential, and this characteristic was observed in the absence as well as in the presence of K+ inside the vesicles. Kinetic analyses revealed that one Na+ and one Cl- were involved per transport of one norepinephrine molecule. The apparent Michaelis-Menten constant for norepinephrine was 104 +/- 5nM. The uptake process exhibited higher affinity for dopamine than for norepinephrine but had low affinity for serotonin and histamine. The uptake of norepinephrine was inhibited very effectively by nomifensine, desipramine, imipramine, and cocaine, but much less effectively by bupropion and GBR 12909. Northern blot analysis with the cDNA of the human (SK-N-SH cell) norepinephrine transporter as the probe revealed that the human placenta contained two mRNAs, 5.8 and 3.6 kb in size, which hybridized to the probe. The JAR human placental choriocarcinoma cells were found unable to accumulate norepinephrine in a NaCl-dependent manner. These cells were also found not to contain mRNAs which hybridized to the norepinephrine cDNA probe in northern blot. It is concluded that the human placental syncytiotrophoblast expresses a cocaine-sensitive norepinephrine transporter and that these findings may be directly relevant and important to the clinical complications of maternal cocaine abuse during pregnancy.