Topic: cocaine-induced place preference

The laterodorsal tegmentum (LDT) is a brainstem nucleus that sends direct projections to the nucleus accumbens (NAc), a key brain region involved in reward and motivation. We have previously shown that LDT-NAc inputs are crucial for reward value, triggering preference and shifting value of natural rewards. However, if and how these specific projections mediate the rewarding properties of drugs of abuse remains elusive. Importantly, ex-vivo studies showed that cocaine exposure triggers neuroplasticity changes in the LDT and in the NAc, suggesting that LDT-NAc circuitry may be an important targe

In the last years the field of neuroscience has shed light on the critical role of the cerebellum in drug addiction, particularly emphasizing its involvement in the associative learning processes linking drug use to contextual cues (Miquel et al., 2009, 2016, 2020; Moulton et al., 2014). Our prior research has demonstrated that the cerebellum undergoes notable changes in plasticity and neural activity during the acquisition of drug-induced odor memories (Carbo-Gas et al., 2014; Carbo-Gas et al., 2017, Gil-Miravet et al., 2021; Guarque-Chabrera et al., 2022). Here, we investigate the cerebellum