Gil-Verona J A, Pastor J F, de Paz F, Barbosa M, Macias-Fernández J A, Maniega M A, Rami-González L, Cañizares-Alejos S
Universidad de Valladolid. Facultad de Medicina, Valladolid, España.
Rev Neurol. 2003;36(4):361-5.
In this review we study drug addiction from a neurobiological point of view, emphasizing the dopamine hypothesis. This is basic to explain how a genetic feature is related with an alteration of this neurotransmitter and can connect with environmental factors to develop the addiction problem.
Toxic addiction is defined as the physical or psychophysiological dependence on a special chemical substance, whose suppression arouses deprivation symptoms in the person. The study of addiction to different drugs gives us a new approach for knowing the strengthening systems. Because even thought we do not know precisely the nervous mechanism of these substances that cause pleasure, we suppose that they are in the same place as rewarding and strengthening the behaviour mechanisms. In this way the dopamine hypothesis has been developed: in this hypothesis drug addiction is closely connected with a genetic upset of this neurotransmitter, so there is a defect in the reward system. This in turn stimulates the substance abuse that increases the brain s dopamine levels.
Knowing the neurobiological mechanisms involved in addiction and its relation with dopamine and the reward system can help us understand that problem and aid the rational development of treatment
在本综述中，我们从神经生物学角度研究药物成瘾，重点阐述多巴胺假说。这对于解释一种遗传特征如何与这种神经递质的改变相关联，以及如何与环境因素相互作用从而引发成瘾问题至关重要。
药物成瘾被定义为对某种特殊化学物质的生理或心理生理依赖，停用该物质会使个体出现戒断症状。对不同药物成瘾的研究为我们了解强化系统提供了新的视角。尽管我们尚不清楚这些能带来愉悦感的物质的确切神经机制，但我们推测它们与奖赏和强化行为机制位于同一区域。由此，多巴胺假说得以发展：在该假说中，药物成瘾与这种神经递质的基因紊乱密切相关，进而导致奖赏系统出现缺陷。这反过来又刺激了药物滥用，从而提高大脑中的多巴胺水平。
了解成瘾所涉及的神经生物学机制及其与多巴胺和奖赏系统的关系，有助于我们理解这一问题，并促进合理的治疗方案的开发。
