Cigarette smoking is often initiated during adolescence and an earlier age of onset is
associated with worse health outcomes later in life. Paradoxically, the transition towards …

The rodent dorsal medial prefrontal cortex (PFC), specifically the prelimbic cortex (PL),
regulates the expression of conditioned fear and behaviors interpreted as reward seeking …

A critical step in preserving protein homeostasis is the recognition, binding, unfolding, and
translocation of protein substrates by six AAA-ATPase proteasome subunits (ATPase …

Behavioral flexibility—that is, the ability to deviate from established behavioral sequences—
is critical for navigating dynamic environments and requires the durable encoding and …

It has long been suggested that alcohol or substance use disorders could emerge from the
progressive development and dominance of drug habits. Like habits, drug-related behaviors …

A growing body of evidence suggests that nucleus accumbens (NAc) plays a significant role
not only in the physiological processes associated with reward and satisfaction but also in …

Preclinical studies have revealed robust and long‐lasting alterations in dendritic spines in
the brain following cocaine exposure. Such alterations are hypothesized to underlie …

Goal‐directed action refers to selecting behaviors based on the expectation that they will be
reinforced with desirable outcomes. It is typically conceptualized as opposing habit‐based …

The prelimbic prefrontal cortex is necessary for associating actions with their consequences,
enabling goal-directed decision making. We find that the strength of action–outcome …

Background Cocaine use during adolescence increases vulnerability to drug dependence
and decreases the likelihood that individuals will seek treatment as adults. Understanding …