Study Finds Cocaine Upregulates Brain Channels That Promote Reinforcement
October 17, 2023 : A recent study published in Molecular Psychiatry found that chronic cocaine exposure upregulates hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) channels in ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine neurons. This upregulation of HCN channels promotes cocaine reinforcement, or the motivation to seek and consume cocaine.
