title: The role of the GABA system in amphetamine-type stimulant use disorders.
abstract: Abuse of amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) has become a global public health problem. ATS causes severe neurotoxicity, which could lead to addiction and could induce psychotic disorders or cognitive dysfunctions. However, until now, there has been a lack of effective medicines for treating ATS-related problems. Findings from recent studies indicate that in addition to the traditional dopamine-ergic system, the GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid)-ergic system plays an important role in ATS abuse. However, the exact mechanisms of the GABA-ergic system in amphetamine-type stimulant use disorders are not fully understood. This review discusses the role of the GABA-ergic system in ATS use disorders, including ATS induced psychotic disorders and cognitive dysfunctions. We conclude that the GABA-ergic system are importantly involved in the development of ATS use disorders through multiple pathways, and that therapies or medicines that target specific members of the GABA-ergic system may be novel effective interventions for the treatment of ATS use disorders.
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Dongliang
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jiao
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Yao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurochemistry, NY State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Xiaohong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Jinggen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhao
keywords: GABA system; amphetamine-type stimulants use disorders; cognitive dysfunctions; drug abuse; psychotic