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 a chronic relapsing disorder characterized by the loss of control over drug
intake, high motivation to obtain the drug, and a persistent craving for the drug …

It is widely accepted that D1 dopamine receptor–expressing striatal neurons convey their
information directly to the output nuclei of the basal ganglia, whereas D2-expressing …

Depression, a severe psychiatric disorder, has been studied for decades, but the underlying
mechanisms still remain largely unknown. Depression is closely associated with alterations …

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 …

This article is part of a Special Issue “Parental Care”. Mother–infant bonding is a
characteristic of virtually all mammals. The maternal neural system may have provided the …

Understanding the brain circuitry that underlies reward is critical to improve treatment for
many common health issues, including obesity, depression, and addiction. Here we focus …

Background The nucleus accumbens is a critical mediator of depression-related outcomes
to social defeat stress. Previous studies demonstrate distinct neuroplasticity adaptations in …

Nucleus accumbens neurons serve to integrate information from cortical and limbic regions
to direct behaviour. Addictive drugs are proposed to hijack this system, enabling drug …