Drug addiction involves potentially life-long behavioral abnormalities that are caused in
vulnerable individuals by repeated exposure to a drug of abuse. The persistence of these …

Although the critical role for epigenetic mechanisms in development and cell differentiation
has long been appreciated, recent evidence reveals that these mechanisms are also …

Over the past decade, it has become increasingly obvious that epigenetic mechanisms are
an integral part of a multitude of brain functions that range from the development of the …

Abnormal brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) signaling seems to have a central role in
the course and development of various neurological and psychiatric disorders. In addition …

Highlights•Chronic drug use alters the epigenetic state of neurons and other cell types within
brain reward regions.•Epigenetic adaptations are correlated with addiction, but their causal …

Neuronal activity induces intracellular Ca2+ increase, which triggers activation of a series of
Ca2+‐dependent signaling cascades. Among these, the multifunctional Ca2+/calmodulin …

Substance abuse increases an individual's vulnerability to stress-related illnesses, which is
presumably mediated by drug-induced neural adaptations that alter subsequent responses …

Substance use disorders (SUDs) are highly prevalent. SUDs involve vicious cycles of binges
followed by occasional periods of abstinence with recurrent relapses despite treatment and …

Drug‐induced alterations in gene expression throughout the reward circuitry of the brain are
likely components of the persistence of the drug‐addicted state. Recent studies examining …

Repeated cocaine use induces coordinated changes in gene expression that drive plasticity
in the nucleus accumbens (NAc), an important component of the brain's reward circuitry, and …