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

Changes in gene expression in brain reward regions are thought to contribute to the
pathogenesis and persistence of drug addiction. Recent studies have begun to focus on the …

The X-linked transcriptional repressor methyl CpG binding protein 2 (MeCP2), known for its
role in the neurodevelopmental disorder Rett syndrome, is emerging as an important …

A single exposure to cocaine rapidly induces the brief activation of several immediate early
genes, but the role of such short-term regulation in the enduring consequences of cocaine …

Plasticity in the brain is important for learning and memory, and allows us to respond to
changes in the environment. Furthermore, long periods of stress can lead to structural and …

Cocaine is a powerful stimulant of the sympathetic nervous system by inhibiting
catecholamine reuptake, stimulating central sympathetic outflow, and increasing the …

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 …

Drug addiction is a progressive, relapsing disease comprised of interlocking stages of
disordered motivation. Numerous animal models describing various stages of the addiction …

Experience-dependent plasticity at excitatory synapses of the mesocorticolimbic system is a
fundamental brain mechanism that enables adaptation to an ever-changing environment …

The regulation of gene expression in the brain reward regions is known to contribute to the
pathogenesis and persistence of drug addiction. Increasing evidence suggests that the …