COCAINE may have a new use: it might help to map brain regions involved in feelings of reward.
Cocaine binds to a receptor in the brain called DAT. This prevents the reward chemical dopamine binding to DAT, so it builds up, giving users a high.
This binding also makes cocaine ideal for mapping the brain鈥檚 reward system, say Greg Naumiec and at the University of Rhode Island in Kingston. They , which is magnetic and highly visible in MRI scans. If injected, the cocainegadolinium should bind to and 鈥渓ight up鈥� the DAT receptors.
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If shown to be safe in humans, the technique could help diagnose drug addiction, Parkinson鈥檚 disease and depression, which are all linked to the reward system.
The work was presented this week at the American Chemical Society meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
