Topic: drug-seeking behavior

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

Numerous studies have demonstrated the correspondence between orexin transmission and reward-related behaviors. Orexin receptors are expressed in the hippocampus regions such as CA1, CA2, and CA3, as well as the DG region. The hippocampus is essential in learning and memory, and there is a correlation between reward and learning and memory processing. The dentate gyrus (DG) is the main gateway of the hippocampal formation, receives and integrates inputs from the rest of the hippocampus formation and regulates addiction-related behaviors. Methamphetamine and other psychostimulants can produce a