In this review we propose that there are sex differences in how men and women enter onto
the path that can lead to addiction. Males are more likely than females to engage in risky …

Addictive drugs share with palatable food the property of increasing extracellular dopamine
(DA), preferentially in the nucleus accumbens shell rather than in the core. However, by …

Abuse of psychoactive substances can lead to drug addiction. In animals, addiction is best
modeled by drug self-administration paradigms. It has been proposed that the crucial …

Survival is dictated by an organism's fitness in approaching positive stimuli and avoiding
harm. While a rich literature outlines a role for mesolimbic dopamine in reward and …

Preferential enhancement of dopamine transmission within the nucleus accumbens (NAc)
shell is a fundamental aspect of the neural regulation of cocaine reward. Despite its …

When a discrete cue (a “sign”) is presented repeatedly in anticipation of a food reward the
cue can become imbued with incentive salience, leading some animals to approach and …

Central nervous system cholinergic neurons arise from several discrete sources, project to
multiple brain regions, and exert specific effects on reward, learning, and memory. These …

It is known that negative environmental conditions increase vulnerability to drugs, whereas
little is known on whether positive environmental conditions such as enriched environments …

Nicotine is considered an important component of tobacco responsible for the smoking habit
in humans. Nicotine increases glutamate-mediated transmission throughout brain reward …

Rationale Stress activates a subset of dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area
(VTA), increasing extracellular dopamine in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and …