Dopamine release and the subjective effects of drugs

Drugs of abuse modulate the dopamine system.^[1,2] The study detailed on the slide provided ground-breaking evidence of a relationship between increased dopamine in the brain and the feeling of ‘drug high’ in response to a stimulant.^[2]

References:
[1] Volkow ND, Michaelides M, Baler R. The neuroscience of drug reward and addiction. Physiol Rev 2019; 99 (4): 2115–2140.

[2] Volkow ND, Wang GJ, Fowler JS, et al. Reinforcing effects of psychostimulants in humans are associated with increases in brain dopamine and occupancy of D(2) receptors. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 1999; 291 (1): 409–415.