Twenty-percent of Caucasians appear to carry a genetic variant that substantially increases their odds of being susceptible to severe cocaine abuse leading to fatal overdosing, say researchers at Ohio State University. The new study, published in Neuropsychopharmacology, notes that only one-in-eight African Americans are affected by the variant. The variant, characterized by one or both […]
Dr. Michael Kuhar and a team of neuroscientists at the Yerkes Regional Primate Research Center of Emory University have found that a naturally occurring neurotransmitter produces behaviors associated with cocaine and methamphetamine. The finding suggests a role for the brain chemical, called CART (Cocaine- and Amphetamine-Regulated Transcript) peptide, in modulating or mediating the actions of […]
