Cocaine Rewires Brain After Single Use
Just the other day, one of my sons was asking me what happens if someone takes cocaine only once and this study is showing us that this particular drug is way stronger than what most people realize.
Using cocaine once is enough to rewire the brain and cause addiction, according to new research.
A new study, conducted on mice, shows cocaine speedily rewires high-level brain circuits that support learning, memory and decision-making.
The research, from UC Berkeley and UCSF, sheds light on the frontal brain's role in drug-seeking behavior and may be key to tackling addiction.
Researchers found that, after just one dose of cocaine, the rodents showed fast and robust growth of dendritic spines, which are tiny, twig like structures that connect neurons and form the nodes of the brain's circuit wiring.
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