Discuss how cocaine is able to provide a feeling of reward and pleasure.

Key terms and concepts that may be included in student responses:
▪ Cocaine activates those areas of the brain that register reward and pleasure.
▪ Dopamine-Normally, a pleasurable event releases dopamine into the synapses in reward and pleasure areas of the brain.Cocaine blocks the reuptake of dopamine into the transmitting neuron, causing it to accumulate in the synapse.The rapid, strong effects of cocaine on the brain's reward centers make this substance more likely than most to lead to a stimulant use disorder.