Changes in the properties and postsynaptic abundance of AMPA-type glutamate receptors
(AMPARs) are major mechanisms underlying various forms of synaptic plasticity, including …

Treating major depression is a medical need that remains unmet by monoaminergic
therapeutic strategies that commonly fail to achieve symptom remission. A breakthrough in …

Although it is challenging for individuals with cocaine addiction to achieve abstinence, the
greatest difficulty is avoiding relapse to drug taking, which is often triggered by cues …

Among the many neuromodulators used by the mammalian brain to regulate circuit function
and plasticity, dopamine (DA) stands out as one of the most behaviorally powerful …

The basal ganglia are a chain of subcortical nuclei that facilitate action selection. Two striatal
projection systems—so-called direct and indirect pathways—form the functional backbone of …

Suppressing sensory arousal is critical for sleep, with deeper sleep requiring stronger
sensory suppression. The mechanisms that enable sleeping animals to largely ignore their …

Synaptic plasticity is a key component of the learning machinery in the brain. It is vital that
such plasticity be tightly regulated so that it occurs to the proper extent at the proper time …

Adolescent brain maturation is characterized by the emergence of executive function
mediated by the prefrontal cortex, eg, goal planning, inhibition of impulsive behavior and set …

Highlights•Modulation of synaptic strength can occur through changes in short-term
plasticity.•Modulators can shape or induce long-term synaptic plasticity.•Modulators can …

Using addictive drugs can evolve from controlled social use into the compulsive relapsing
disorder that characterizes addiction. This transition to addiction results from genetic …