Home | E-Book Store | www.PersonalConsult.com | www.USMoldPhysician.com
Free Books | Testimonials
Dr. Volkow is the Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. She knows substance abuse. She showed that cocaine abusers had markedly decreased dopamine receptors, compared with a control group. This very serious problem was still present after a full four months. So patients do not rebound back in days or weeks either with cocaine, or with other drugs like excess alcohol, heroin, and "Meth." People who are addicted to these four substances have prolonged reductions in the dopamine pleasure receptors. So if dopamine is released, it has few receptors to bind to and make you feel good. Or at least feel normal.
Dr. Volkow gave methylphenidate (Ritalin) to some of these individuals with addiction trouble and few dopamine2 receptors and they described it as pleasant. People with normal dopamine receptors were unsettled by the stimulant and hated it.
www.neuropsychiatryreviews.com/jul04/npr_jul04_addiction.html
Yasgur BS. The neurologic roots of addiction. NeuroPsychiatry Reviews. 2004;5
Volkow ND, Fowler JS, Wang GJ, Swanson JM. Dopamine in drug abuse and addiction: results from imaging studies and treatment implications. Mol Psychiatry. 2004;9:557-569.
Volkow ND, Fowler JS, Wang GJ. The addicted human brain: insights from imaging studies. J Clin Invest. 2003;111:1444-1451.
Volkow ND, Fowler JS, Wang GJ. Role of dopamine in drug reinforcement and addiction in humans: results from imaging studies. Behav Pharmacol. 2002;13:355-366.
Volkow ND, Fowler JS. Addiction, a disease of compulsion and drive: involvement of the orbitofrontal cortex. Cereb Cortex. 2000;10:318-325.
White NM. Addictive drugs as reinforcers: multiple partial actions on memory systems. Addiction. 1996;91:921-949.
