Glutamatergic neurotransmission in sensitization

Abstract

Behavioral sensitization, the intensification of a drug-induced behavior upon repeated drug administration, is a complex phenomenon. As outlined in the preceding chapters, the mesocorticolimbic dopamine system plays a central role in the various stages of initiation, development, expression, and long-term maintenance of sensitization. Although dopamine is likely to be one of the major transmitters involved, other transmitters act to modulate these processes in various and complex ways. Transmitter systems that have been shown to modulate sensitization or that undergo adaptations during sensitization include, for example, serotonin (1, 2), γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) (3), noradrenaline (4), or acetylcholine (5,6). © 2005 Humana Press.