Synaptic plasticity in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) has been implicated in the acquisition
of a drug-dependent state. Even a single exposure to cocaine in naive animals is sufficient …

Long-term potentiation (LTP) of excitatory synapses on ventral tegmental area (VTA)
dopamine (DA) cells is thought to play an important role in mediating some of the behavioral …

The manner in which drug-evoked synaptic plasticity affects reward circuits remains largely
elusive. We found that cocaine reduced NMDA receptor excitatory postsynaptic currents and …

Synaptic plasticity in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) is modulated by drugs of abuse and
stress and is hypothesized to contribute to specific aspects of addiction. Both excitatory and …

The initiation of the psychostimulant sensitization process depends on the mesolimbic
system, which projects from the ventral tegmental area (VTA) to the nucleus accumbens …

Addictive drugs hijack mechanisms of learning and memory that normally underlie
reinforcement of natural rewards and induce synaptic plasticity of glutamatergic transmission …

Drugs of abuse such as cocaine induce long-term synaptic plasticity in the reward circuitry,
which underlies the formation of drug-associated memories and addictive behavior. We …

Addictive drugs share the ability to increase dopamine (DA) levels and trigger synaptic
adaptations in the mesocorticolimbic system, two cellular processes engaged in the early …

Plasticity of glutamatergic synapses is a fundamental mechanism through which experience
changes neural function to impact future behavior. In animal models of addiction …

Long-term changes in the efficacy of glutamatergic synaptic transmission in the striatal
complex are proposed to underlie motor learning and neuroadaptations leading to …