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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2008 Oct 7.
Published in final edited form as: Pharmacol Ther. 2006 Oct 17;113(2):296–320. doi: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2006.08.004

Fig.1. 5-HT1B receptors potentiate cocaine-induced dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens.

Fig.1

A: In the absence of cocaine, serotonin (5-HT) binding to 5-HT1B receptors in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) does not alter basal dopamine (DA) release in the nucleus accumbens (NA).

B: In the presence of systemic or intra-VTA cocaine, 5-HT transporters are blocked by cocaine causing an increase in extracellular 5-HT in the VTA, and increased stimulation of 5-HT1B receptors on the terminals of GABAergic projections from the NA. GABA release from these terminals is decreased in response to 5-HT1B receptor stimulation, resulting in a disinhibition of the mesolimbic pathway and increased DA release in the NA.