"Uncovering New Insights into Cocaine Addiction: Beyond Dopamine and Impulsivity"

A study by the University of Geneva challenges the conventional belief that regular cocaine use diminishes the brain’s ability to produce dopamine, suggesting that vulnerability to drug abuse may be linked to mechanisms controlling dopamine release rather than dopamine production. Impulsive action, rather than risky decision-making, is found to be a better predictor of increased cocaine use, indicating a specific aspect of impulsivity influences drug abuse vulnerability. The study offers new insights into individual differences in vulnerability to drug abuse and opens the door to exploring other mechanisms that could explain this vulnerability.