Cited by 2,070Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on BehaviorNeuroscience and Neuropharmacology ResearchNeural and Behavioral Psychology Studies

Drugs of abuse: anatomy, pharmacology and function of reward pathways

Koob, George F.·1992·Trends in Pharmacological Sciences

Abstract

Drugs of abuse are very powerful reinforcers, and even in conditions of limited access (where the organism is not dependent) these drugs will motivate high rates of operant responding. This presumed hedonic property and the drugs' neuropharmacological specificity provide a means of studying the neuropharmacology and neuroanatomy of brain reward. Three major brain systems appear to be involved in drug reward--dopamine, opioid and GABA. Evidence suggests a midbrain-forebrain-extrapyramidal circuit with its focus in the nucleus accumbens. Data implicating dopamine and opioid systems in indirect sympathomimetic and opiate reward include critical elements in both the nucleus accumbens and ventral tegmental areas. Ethanol reward appears to depend on an interaction with the GABAA receptor complex but may also involve common elements such as dopamine and opioid peptides in this midbrain-forebrain-extrapyramidal circuit. These results suggest that brain reward systems have a multidetermined neuropharmacological basis that may involve some common neuroanatomical elements.

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Crossref · 10.1016/0165-6147(92)90060-j

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Authors
Koob, G. F.
Affiliations
Scripps Research Institute (US)
Corresponding author
Koob, George F.
Venue
Trends in Pharmacological Sciences
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
1992-01
Volume
13
Issue
5
Pages
177-184
ISSN
0165-6147 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2001865657
Cited by
2,070
References
74
Citations by year
2026: 7 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 12 · 2023: 16 · 2022: 17 · 2021: 28 · 2020: 30 · 2019: 28 · 2018: 46 · 2017: 42 · 2016: 43 · 2015: 37 · 2014: 58 · 2013: 53 · 2012: 53
FWCI
6.53
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Trends in Pharmacological Sciences (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (AA-08459)
  • National Institute on Drug Abuse (DA04043, DA04398, R01DA004398, R01DA004043)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
Keywords
drugs of abuse, brain reward system, dopamine, opioid system, GABA, nucleus accumbens, ventral tegmental area, ethanol reward, opioid reward, operant responding
MeSH terms
Animals, Brain, Humans, Reward, Illicit Drugs, Rats

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