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 …

Addiction is a state of compulsive drug use; despite treatment and other attempts to control
drug taking, addiction tends to persist. Clinical and laboratory observations have converged …

Persistent changes in behavior and psychological function that occur as a function of
experience, such those associated with learning and memory, are thought to be due to the …

Ventral tegmental area (VTA) neuron firing precedes behaviors elicited by reward-predictive
sensory cues and scales with the magnitude and unpredictability of received rewards. These …

The past two decades have witnessed a dramatic accumulation of evidence indicating that
the excitatory amino acid glutamate plays an important role in drug addiction and …

Drug addiction is a brain disorder caused by the repetitive use of various chemicals which
alter normal functioning of the central nervous system with consequent behavioral …

Anhedonia is a condition in which the capacity of experiencing pleasure is totally or partially
lost, and it refers to both a state symptom in various psychiatric disorders and a personality …

The neurobiological processes by which ethanol seeking and consumption are established
and maintained are thought to involve areas of the brain that mediate motivated behavior …

Recognition of dopamine dysregulation syndrome and characterization of its
phenomenology supports the notion that the medication used to treat Parkinson's disease …