Abstract:The rewarding and reinforcing effects of abused drugs are thought to be mediated by their ability to increase brain dopamine levels. The canon holds that all drugs of abuse increase dopamine release in a brain region called the nucleus accumbens (NAc) but, due to the temporal constraints of previously available neurochemical techniques, it remains unknown how distinct drugs of abuse alter dopamine release in real time. A real time assessment is important due to the nature by which dopamine neurons fire. In awa… Show more
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