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 …

Repeated exposure to drugs of abuse enhances the motor-stimulant response to these
drugs, a phenomenon termed behavioral sensitization. Animals that are extinguished from …

Background and rationale Results from many clinical studies suggest that drug relapse and
craving are often provoked by acute exposure to the self-administered drug or related drugs …

Anatomical and functional refinements of the meso-limbic dopamine system of the rat are
discussed. Present experiments suggest that dopaminergic neurons localized in the …

An important conceptual advance in the past decade has been the understanding that the
process of drug addiction shares striking commonalities with neural plasticity associated …

The rat prelimbic prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens core are critical for initiating
cocaine seeking. In contrast, the neural circuitry responsible for inhibiting cocaine seeking …

Background Initial hypotheses regarding the role of the κ opioid system in drug addiction
suggested that κ receptor stimulation had anti-addictive effects. However, recent research …

Substantial evidence indicates that the lateral septum (LS) plays a critical role in regulating
processes related to mood and motivation. This review presents findings from the basic …

The repeated use of drugs that directly or indirectly stimulate dopamine transmission carry
addiction liability and produce enduring pathological changes in the brain circuitry that …