Emergent pharmacology of conscious experience: new perspectives in substance addiction

We here review experimental findings relevant for the pharmacology of conscious experience, an issue largely neglected in pharmacological research. First, we focus on self-awareness, a pivotal component of conscious experience and its integration within the global neuronal network (GNW), a theoretical concept that unifies convergent approaches on the neural bases of conscious processing. We report recent evidence to show that self-awareness mobilizes a paralimbic circuitry of γ synchrony, and that such synchrony is, in particular, regulated by GABA interneurons under the control of acetylcholine and dopamine. Recent data illustrate that these neurotransmitters establish a causal relationship with the control of self-awareness. The hypothesis is presented that not only is self-awareness chemically regulated, but the reverse may be true. Long-term deficit in self-control of drug intake would result in compulsive substance use, accompanied, in particular, with lesions of the paralimbic circuitry of self-awar...