32 ms·

There’s basically 2 pathways: the dopamine pathway through amphetamines or the acetylcholine pathway via cocaine

by water8 4y ago

zafka 4y ago
Can you expound on this a bit? As the other commentor indicated, this is very interesting. Thank you for exposing me to this tidbit!
- water8 4y ago
  Just look up with the neurotransmitters regulate. The key chemicals in stimulation are dopamine norepinephrine epinephrine and acetylcholine. Unrelated but another neurotransmitter fun fact: Serotonin is responsible for your feeling of self-confidence
  - valec 4y ago
    >Unrelated but another neurotransmitter fun fact: Serotonin is responsible for your feeling of self-confidence this is so oversimplified as to be completely meaningless
valec 4y ago
i think you are very mistaken. cocaine and amphetamines both enact their effects primarily by drastically raising dopamine levels in the brain (in particular the striatum in the case of the euphoria they cause). neither of them directly target acetylcholine to any capacity. the main difference between cocaine and amphetamines is that amphetamines are dopamine/norepinephrine(/serotonin depending on the specific amphetamine) releasers, while cocaine is a dopamine/norepinephrine/serotonin reuptake inhibitor. releasers make their way inside the presynaptic neuron either through DAT/NET/SERT or by diffusing directly across the membrane, where they then enter monamine vesicles through VMAT2 and collapse the pH gradient causing monoamines to spill into the cytosol, where it is then transported out of the cell by DAT (and sert and net for serotonin and norepinephrine). it is unclear the exact mechanism that amphetamine causes DAT/NET/SERT reversal. anyways end result is norepinephrine and dopamine spill into the synaptic cleft. cocaine, as a SNDRI, simply blocks DAT/NET/SERT from removing their respective monoamines from the synaptic cleft/transporting them back into the pre-synaptic neuron.

There’s basically 2 pathways: the dopamine pathway through amphetamines or the acetylcholine pathway via cocaine

by water8 4y ago

There’s basically 2 pathways: the dopamine pathway through amphetamines or the acetylcholine pathway via cocaine

Can you expound on this a bit? As the other commentor indicated, this is very interesting. Thank you for exposing me to this tidbit!

water8 4y ago
Just look up with the neurotransmitters regulate. The key chemicals in stimulation are dopamine norepinephrine epinephrine and acetylcholine. Unrelated but another neurotransmitter fun fact: Serotonin is responsible for your feeling of self-confidence
- valec 4y ago
  >Unrelated but another neurotransmitter fun fact: Serotonin is responsible for your feeling of self-confidence this is so oversimplified as to be completely meaningless

valec 4y ago

i think you are very mistaken. cocaine and amphetamines both enact their effects primarily by drastically raising dopamine levels in the brain (in particular the striatum in the case of the euphoria they cause). neither of them directly target acetylcholine to any capacity. the main difference between cocaine and amphetamines is that amphetamines are dopamine/norepinephrine(/serotonin depending on the specific amphetamine) releasers, while cocaine is a dopamine/norepinephrine/serotonin reuptake inhibitor. releasers make their way inside the presynaptic neuron either through DAT/NET/SERT or by diffusing directly across the membrane, where they then enter monamine vesicles through VMAT2 and collapse the pH gradient causing monoamines to spill into the cytosol, where it is then transported out of the cell by DAT (and sert and net for serotonin and norepinephrine). it is unclear the exact mechanism that amphetamine causes DAT/NET/SERT reversal. anyways end result is norepinephrine and dopamine spill into the synaptic cleft. cocaine, as a SNDRI, simply blocks DAT/NET/SERT from removing their respective monoamines from the synaptic cleft/transporting them back into the pre-synaptic neuron.