Advances in neuroscience identified addiction as a chronic brain disease with strong
genetic, neurodevelopmental, and sociocultural components. We here discuss the circuit …

The nucleus accumbens is a major input structure of the basal ganglia and integrates
information from cortical and limbic structures to mediate goal-directed behaviors. Chronic …

Addiction is associated with neuroplasticity in the corticostriatal brain circuitry that is
important for guiding adaptive behaviour. The hierarchy of corticostriatal information …

Addictive drugs cause persistent restructuring of several neuronal cell types in the limbic
regions of brain thought to be responsible for long-term behavioral plasticity driving …

Cocaine-induced alterations in gene expression cause changes in neuronal morphology
and behavior that may underlie cocaine addiction. In mice, we identified an essential role for …

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

Previous work has identified alterations in histone acetylation in animal models of drug
addiction and depression. However, the mechanisms which integrate drugs and stress with …

Dendritic spines are multifunctional integrative units of the nervous system and are highly
diverse and dynamic in nature. Both internal and external stimuli influence dendritic spine …

Cocaine addiction is characterized by an impaired ability to develop adaptive behaviors that
can compete with cocaine seeking, implying a deficit in the ability to induce plasticity in …

The main characteristics of cocaine addiction are compulsive drug use despite adverse
consequences and high rates of relapse during periods of abstinence. A current popular …