Understanding the changes in the brain which occur in the transition from normal to
addictive behavior has major implications in public health. Here we postulate that while …

This review gives an overview of recent findings and developments in research on brain
mechanisms of reward and reinforcement from studies using the place preference …

The involvement of dopamine in drug reinforcement is well recognized but its role in drug
addiction is much less clear. Imaging studies have shown that the reinforcing effects of drugs …

OBJECTIVE: The role of dopamine in the addictive process (loss of control and compulsive
drug intake) is poorly understood. A consistent finding in drug-addicted subjects is a lower …

The mesolimbic dopaminergic (ML-DA) system has been recognized for its central role in
motivated behaviors, various types of reward, and, more recently, in cognitive processes …

Drug addiction is characterized by a set of recurring processes (intoxication, withdrawal,
craving) that lead to the relapsing nature of the disorder. We have used positron emission …

This review applies some new experimental findings and theoretical ideas about how
reinforcers act on the neural mechanisms of learning and memory to the problem of how …

The prefrontal cortex (PFC) has long been known to be involved in the mediation of complex
behavioral responses. Considerable research efforts are directed towards refining the …

The involvement of dopamine (DA) in drug reinforcement is well established, but much less
in known about its contribution to addiction. We have used positron emission tomography to …

Multiple lines of research have implicated the mesolimbic dopamine system in drug reward
measured by either the drug self-administration or conditioned place preference paradigm …