A study with mice shows that a large part of the neurons that regulate thirst or hunger are triggered by the desire generated by cocaine or morphine. Cocaine prevents the body from reabsorbing dopamine, and this intensifies the activation of reward circuits.
Morphine binds to opioid receptors, which can also release dopamine in the nucleus accumbens. In both cases, the more times the drug was administered, the greater the neuronal activity in this region. The scientists observed that some circuits were activated by the consumption of large amounts of food and that this activation increased food consumption. However, the researchers saw that, in most cases, there was an overlap when they responded to the pleasure of drinking or eating and that of receiving narcotics. The authors of the work published this Thursday wanted to combine the latest technologies in animal models to understand the biological bases of this ability of narcotics to change the priorities of those who take them. They were able to identify the place in the brain that is activated by drugs. They used mice that were given cocaine and morphine.