Trend in the study of cocaine addiction

Psychostimulant drugs including cocaine increase extracellular levels of monoamines by blocking the neuronal plasma membrane transporters. Increased extracellular dopamine levels in mesocorticolimbic dopamine systems have been postulated to mediate the rewarding effects of cocaine. Studies in genetically modified mice models, particularly knockout mice have contributed a great deal to our understanding of the mechanisms underlying psychostimulant actions. Phenotypic analysis of genetically modified mice models has been instrumental in identifying the role of specific molecular targets of cocaine. In this article, we summarize studies that have reported the effects of cocaine using genetically modified mice especially gene knockouts of the monoamine transporters and receptors.