Mood disorders are common and debilitating conditions characterized in part by profound
deficits in reward-related behavioural domains. A recent literature has identified important …

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)—a member of a small family of secreted proteins
that includes nerve growth factor, neurotrophin 3 and neurotrophin 4—has emerged as a …

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 …

Addictive drugs have in common that they target the mesocorticolimbic dopamine (DA)
system. This system originates in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and projects mainly to the …

Spike timing–dependent plasticity (STDP) as a Hebbian synaptic learning rule has been
demonstrated in various neural circuits over a wide spectrum of species, from insects to …

Addiction is caused, in part, by powerful and long-lasting memories of the drug experience.
Relapse caused by exposure to cues associated with the drug experience is a major clinical …

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 …

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

The neurotrophin brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and its receptor tropomyosin-
related kinase B (TrkB) have emerged as key mediators in the pathophysiology of several …

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 …