Related topics: brain · drug · neurons

Adapting Ritalin to tackle cocaine abuse

Cocaine use continues to be a public health problem, yet despite concerted efforts, no drugs have been approved to resolve cocaine addiction. Research suggests that the attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder drug methylphenidate ...

Cocaine synthesized in a tobacco plant

A team of researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, working with a colleague from Syngenta Jealott's Hill International Research Centre in the U.K., has developed a way to synthesize cocaine using a tobacco plant. The ...

New way of testing for cocaine discovered

Researchers from the University of Dundee have developed a new chemical sensor for cocaine that may lead to potential new point of seizure tests for police officers, customs officers, prison officers and medical professionals ...

Researchers patent quick tests for cocaine

FIU students and their professor have patented a series of new tests that can quickly, accurately and cost-effectively confirm the presence of cocaine.

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Cocaine

Cocaine (benzoylmethylecgonine) is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is both a stimulant of the central nervous system and an appetite suppressant. Specifically, it is a dopamine reuptake inhibitor, a norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor and a serotonin reuptake inhibitor, which mediates functionality of such as an exogenous DAT ligand. Because of the way it affects the mesolimbic reward pathway, cocaine is addictive.

Its possession, cultivation, and distribution are illegal for non-medicinal and non-government sanctioned purposes in virtually all parts of the world. Although its free commercialization is illegal and has been severely penalized in virtually all countries, its use worldwide remains widespread in many social, cultural, and personal settings.

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