The nucleus accumbens is a major input structure of the basal ganglia and integrates
information from cortical and limbic structures to mediate goal-directed behaviors. Chronic …

What is the defining property of addiction? We dust off a several-decades-long debate about
the relative importance of two forms of reinforcement—positive reinforcement, subjectively …

The endocannabinoid system has emerged as a key player in the control of eating.
Endocannabinoids, including 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) and anandamide (AEA) …

Females are more vulnerable than males to many aspects of cocaine use disorder. This
vulnerability also translates to opioid use disorder, with females exhibiting stronger …

Opioids selective for the G protein-coupled mu opioid receptor (MOR) produce potent
analgesia and euphoria. Heroin, a synthetic opioid, is considered one of the most addictive …

Mechanisms of opioid tolerance have focused on adaptive modifications within cells
containing opioid receptors, defined here as cellular allostasis, emphasizing regulation of …

Drug addiction is a complex neuropsychiatric disorder that affects a subset of the individuals
who take drugs. It is characterized by maladaptive drug-seeking habits that are maintained …

Chronic use of addictive drugs produces enduring neuroadaptations in the corticostriatal
glutamatergic brain circuitry. The nucleus accumbens (NAc), which integrates cortical …

Clinical and preclinical studies indicate that adaptations in corticostriatal neurotransmission
significantly contribute to heroin relapse vulnerability. In animal models, heroin self …

Background There is increasing evidence that the pathological overeating underlying some
forms of obesity is compulsive in nature and therefore contains elements of an addictive …