Drug addiction

Drug addiction is a chronic relapsing disorder characterized by compulsive drug-seeking. There is lot of interest in gaining a better understanding of how acupuncture works in the brain to modulate addictive behaviors. The current study aims to discuss the neurobiological mechanisms underlying acupuncture’s effectiveness in the treatment of drug addiction, on the basis of two different theories (the incentive sensitization theory and the opponent process theory) that have seemingly opposite views on the role of the mesolimbic reward pathways in mediating compulsive drug-seeking behavior. Resul

…an endophenotype of vulnerability to drug addiction. Such phenotype is dependent on Dopamine (DA) transmission within the Nucleus Accumbens core (NACc), as DA suppression prevents both its development and expression. However, previous studies suggested the hypothesis that ST behavior can be dependent on different neural mechanisms in two inbred strains of C57BL/6J (C57) and DBA/2J (DBA) mice, which have known differences in their

Drug addiction is a psychiatric disorder defined as a compulsive pattern of drug-seeking/taking behaviors, with recurrent episodes of abstinence and relapse. Addictive drugs increase dopamine in the nucleus accumbens (NAc), where it persistently shapes excitatory glutamate transmission, thereby hijacking natural reward processing. Recently, we provide evidence, from mice to humans, that psychostimulants and opiates alter DA-glutamate signal integration in the NAc through a drug-evoked heteromerization (i.e direct physical interaction) of glutamate NMDA receptors (NMDAR) with D1R or D2R. Using

Drug addiction poses a significant public health challenge, impacting individuals and societies at large. While substantial progress has been made in understanding the neurobiological underpinnings of addiction, certain aspects remain unresolved. Satb2 is a DNA-binding protein involved in gene expression regulation through chromatin remodelling. We propose that it can emerge as a potential player in addiction mechanisms. A Satb2 conditional mutant (cKo) (Satb2 flox/flox::Camk2a-cre) that was generated showed impairment in long-term memory and an absence of this gene in the Cortex and CA1 regio

Reward-related disorders, elicited by recreational psychoactive drugs (cocaine, amphetamine) or natural rewards (food), are associated with functional, structural and long-lasting alterations of the brain dopamine (DA) reward system. Despite their intrinsic differences, drugs of abuse and palatable food lead to (mal)adaptive modifications of the DA system that can ultimately drive compulsive and addictive behaviours with severe health and social impacts, collectively increasing the urgent need for innovative therapeutic strategies.Visceral and interoceptive information through the vagal axis,

Drug addiction is characterized by long-lasting risk of relapse even after long abstinence periods. Historically, addiction research mainly focused on males, generalizing the findings to females. However, clinical and preclinical studies revealed sex differences in cocaine relapse. Indeed, our previous study revealed a higher cue-induced cocaine seeking in female than male rats, an effect dependent on the hormonal cycle. Females were more vulnerable to cue-induced cocaine seeking during the estrus phase characterized by low progesterone levels, compared to females in non-estrus phase with high

Cocaine and other addictive drugs are known to cause sensitization, a reinforced behavioral response to repeated exposures to the same drug, eventually contributing to compulsive use. The sensitized response is maintained for several weeks of abstinence, and outlasts transient transcription-dependent changes in neuronal physiology and plasticity. Due to its complex properties, the 3D structure of the genome may undergo long-lasting changes upon a single drug exposure, and serve as cellular memory in the path to addiction. Here, we show that a single exposure to cocaine induces extensive rewiri

The increasing burden of drug addiction on society and the challenge of treating addicts has been the focus of much research in the past decades. The subthalamic nucleus (STN) has been shown to be a very interesting target since its inactivation by lesion or Deep Brain Stimulation can reduce motivation for cocaine, while increasing motivation for sweet food. Since the STN is a hub of the Basal ganglia and receives direct cortical projections (the hyperdirect pathway) it is important to clarify the role of this pathway in the effects observed after STN manipulations. This study thus seeks to cl

…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

…options for the treatment of drug addiction. Thus, the identification and pharmacodynamic characterization of new GHSR ligands is of high interest. In the present work the label-free dynamic mass redistribution (DMR) assay has been used to evaluate the pharmacological activity of a panel of GHSR ligands, already reported in the scientific

…post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), drug addiction and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Using rodent behavioural models of the psychological processes relevant to these disorders, it is possible to identify potential treatment targets for the development of new therapies, including those based upon disrupting the reconsolidation of maladaptive emotional memories. Using examples from rodent models relevant to multiple mental health disorders, this talk will consider some of the opp

Human neuroimaging research has consistently shown that drug addiction is associated with structural and functional changes within the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). In view of the important role of the OFC in value-based decision-making, these changes have been hypothesised to bias choice towards drug use despite and at the expense of other competing pursuits, thereby explaining drug addiction. Here I will present in vivo recording data in the OFC supporting this hypothesis in a choice-based model of addiction where rats could choose between two actions, one rewarded by a drug (cocaine or heroin

This webinar is mainly focused on “Biomarkers for Addiction Treatment Development: fMRI Drug Cue Reactivity as an Example”. Biomarkers and Biotypes of Drug Addiction: funding opportunities at NIDA, Tanya Ramey (NIDA, US) Neuroimaging-based Biomarker Development for Clinical Trials, Owen Carmicheal (Pennington Biomedical Research Center, USA) ENIGMA-Addiction Cue Reactivity Initiative (ACRI) and Checklist, Hamed Ekhtiari (Laureate Institute for Brain Research, USA) ENIGMA-ACRI Checklist: Participant Characteristics, General fMRI Information, General Task Information, Cue Information, Task-r

Drug addiction is a chronically relapsing disorder characterized by compulsive drug use despite catastrophic personal consequences (e.g., loss of family, job) and even when the substance is no longer perceived as pleasurable. In this talk, I will present results of human neuroimaging studies, utilizing a multimodal approach (neuropsychology, functional magnetic resonance imaging, event-related potentials recordings), to explore the neurobiology underlying the core psychological impairments in drug addiction (impulsivity, drive/motivation, insight/awareness) as associated with its clinical symp