Heavy Science –
APRIL 24, 2020 – Researchers have demonstrated that a key receptor for dopamine, called D2 (D2R), intervenes in the mechanism through which cocaine modifies functions in the striatum.
The striatum is a region of the brain responsible for the psychomotor and rewarding effects of drugs like cocaine, directly involved in the process of addiction.
“In our study, we show that D2R signaling over cholinergic interneurons (ChIs) and acetylcholine (Ach) release exerts a major control in the striatum, which is required for the normal functioning of striatal circuits,” says Emiliana Borrelli, a professor of microbiology and molecular genetics, pharmaceutical sciences, and member of the Center for Epigenetics and Metabolism at the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine.
