Introduction
Cocaine addiction raises and improves through the allocation of particular brain functions. The key systems which are put into action during the development of cocaine addiction are motivational and rewarding. The changes in the brain due to the affection for the drug result in vulnerability to relapse in addiction (Arends et al., 2022). The major physiological mechanism of psychological addiction is the excessive stimulation of the reward center in the brain by dopamine. Cocaine affects neurons that secrete gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), weakening the inhibitory effect on dopamine neurons. Under the influence of cocaine, GABA loses its primary function to brake for excitatory neurotransmitters, which include dopamine.
Discussion
The problem of reward and motivation occurring in the brain is directly related to the process of neurotransmission through which the neurons are connected. Cocaine acts either directly on the dopamine system or indirectly through other receptor systems. As a result, its intake causes the release of neurotransmitters (primarily dopamine), which cause euphoria more strongly than usual physiological stimuli. The neurotransmitter dopamine is a chemical neurotransmitter produced by the brain and adrenal glands that are involved in the transmission of nerve impulses (Arends et al., 2022). Dopamine has been recognized as the primary neurotransmitter involved in developing an addiction to stimulant drugs. This neurotransmitter is responsible for motivation, reward, and stimulating behavior. In the most general terms, compulsive behavioral disorders are formed in this way when a person, realizing the “wrongness” of the forthcoming act, cannot nevertheless resist. Such intense sensations do not appear after the first use of drugs.
Conclusion
To fall into the addiction to cocaine, frequent usage is needed. With each use, dopamine accumulates in the synaptic space, increasing the acquired emotions more and more.
Reference
Arends, A., Koob, G., & Le Moal, M. (2014). What is addiction? In Drugs, addiction, and the brain (pp. 1–27). Academic Press.