Early work stressed the differing involvement of the central amygdala (CeA) and bed
nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) in the genesis of fear versus anxiety, respectively. In …

Background Several theories propose alternative explanations for drug addiction. Objectives
We propose a general theory of transition to addiction that synthesizes knowledge …

It is widely thought that phasic and sustained responses to threat reflect dissociable circuits
centered on the central nucleus of the amygdala (Ce) and the bed nucleus of the stria …

Many strong rewards, including abused drugs, also produce aversive effects that are poorly
understood. For example, cocaine can produce aversive conditioning after its rewarding …

Surgical treatment for psychiatric disorders has been revitalized for the past ten years after
deep brain stimulation (DBS) had shown its efficacy for the treatment of neurological …

Highly palatable foods and substance of abuse have intersecting neurobiological, metabolic
and behavioral effects relevant for understanding vulnerability to conditions related to food …

An important feature of cocaine addiction in humans is the emergence of negative affect (eg,
dysphoria, irritability, anhedonia), postulated to play a key role in craving and relapse …

Studies demonstrate a role for the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) in modulating
affective behavior and stress-reward integration. To explore the dynamic nature of in vivo …

Lateral hypothalamus (LH) orexin neurons are essential for the expression of a cocaine
place preference. However, the afferents that regulate the activity of these orexin neurons …

Continued cocaine use despite the negative consequences is a hallmark of cocaine
addiction. One such consequence is punishment, which is often used by society to curb …