药物滥用一直是美国社会一个非常严重的社会问题，而中国现在也越来越需要注意同样的问题，关于药物滥用的机制一直是各国神经科学家非常关注的问题，以下是美国国立卫生院下属的药物滥用研究所（National Institute on Drug Abuse）一个关于药物滥用中枢研究的介绍：

Section I: Introduction to the Brain

1: Introduction

2: Brain regions and neuronal pathways

3: Neuronal structure

4: The synapse and synaptic neurotransmission

5: Dopamine neurotransmission

6: Dopamine and the production of cyclic AMP

7: Summary of neuronal transmission

Section II: Introduction to the Reward System

1: Reward: drug self-administration

2: The reward pathway

3: Injection of cocaine into the nucleus accumbens

Section III: Introduction to Drugs of Abuse: Cocaine, Opiates (Heroin) and Marijuana (THC)

1: Localization of cocaine "binding sites"

2: Dopamine binding to receptors and uptake pumps in the nucleus accumbens

3: Cocaine binding to uptake pumps: inhibition of dopamine uptake

4: Increased cAMP produced in post-synaptic cell

5: Summary: cocaine binding in nucleus accumbens and activation of reward pathway

6: Positron emission tomography (PET) scan of a person on cocaine

7: Localization of opiate binding sites

8: Opiates binding to opiate receptors in the nucleus accumbens: increased dopamine release

9: Increased cAMP produced in post-synaptic cell

10: Summary: opiate binding in nucleus accumbens and activation of the reward pathway

11: Localization of THC binding sites

12: THC binding to THC receptors in the nucleus accumbens: increased dopamine release

13: Increased cAMP produced in post-synaptic cell

14: Summary: THC binding in nucleus accumbens and activation of the reward pathway

15: Overall summary: these drugs of abuse all activate the reward system via increasing dopamine neurotransmission