Understanding the neurobiology of motivation might help in reducing compulsive behaviors
such as drug addiction or eating disorders. This study shows that excitatory synaptic …

The insula plays a critical role in maintaining nicotine dependence and reactivity to smoking
cues. More broadly, the insula and the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) are key …

Humans with alcohol use disorder typically abstain because of the negative consequences
associated with excessive drinking, and exposure to contexts previously associated with …

Chronic exposure to drugs of abuse is linked to long-lasting alterations in the function of
limbic system structures, including the nucleus accumbens (NAc). Although cocaine acts via …

Background Although cocaine is known to be a highly addictive drug, there appears to be a
select subset of individuals who are able to use the substance recreationally without …

Background Relapse is a two-component process consisting of a highly motivated drug-
seeking phase that, if successful, is followed by a drug-using phase resulting in temporary …

Poorly regulated reward seeking is a central feature of substance use disorder. Recent
research shows that rewarding drug-related experiences induce synchronous activation of a …

Despite decades of research on neurobiological mechanisms of psychostimulant addiction,
the only effective treatment for many addicts is contingency management, a behavioral …

Persistent neural processing of information regarding drug-predictive environmental stimuli
may be involved in motivating drug abusers to engage in drug seeking after abstinence. The …

Background The development of addiction is thought to reflect a transition from goal-directed
to stimulus-response driven behavior, functions attributed to ventral (VS) and dorsal striatum …