
Neural Plasticity and Addiction
Chronic exposure to addictive drugs like cocaine produces a progressive pattern of synaptic plasticity in reward circuits that can continue to develop well into periods of drug abstinence.
Neuroscientist Dr Mark Thomas recently spoke at
Dr Thomas offered data from his research on
Take-home points
• Study of addiction models in rodents is teaching us a great deal about how reward circuits in the mammalian brain can be shaped by experience
• Chronic exposure to addictive drugs like
• Current research suggests that while some forms of drug-induced reward circuit plasticity are detrimental, others may promote a return to normalcy. If “beneficial” plasticity could be reinforced, it may provide a means to mitigate addiction relapse
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