Glial-neuronal ensembles: partners in drug addiction-associated synaptic plasticity
Drug addiction is manifested by a compulsive drive to take licit or illicit substances despite repeated severe adverse consequences (Volkow et al., 2012). Addiction is also accompanied by a vicious cycle of binges, abstinence, and relapses. Almost all drugs of abuse trigger euphoric feelings consequ...
| Authors: | , |
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| Format: | article |
| Status: | Published version |
| Publication Date: | 2014 |
| Country: | Argentina |
| Institution: | Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas |
| Repository: | CONICET Digital (CONICET) |
| Language: | English |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/13589 |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/11336/13589 |
| Access Level: | Open access |
| Keyword: | synaptic plasticity drug abuse microglia astroglia oligodendroglia inflammation https://purl.org/becyt/ford/3.1 https://purl.org/becyt/ford/3 |
| Summary: | Drug addiction is manifested by a compulsive drive to take licit or illicit substances despite repeated severe adverse consequences (Volkow et al., 2012). Addiction is also accompanied by a vicious cycle of binges, abstinence, and relapses. Almost all drugs of abuse trigger euphoric feelings consequent to a rapid increase of dopamine levels in the mesolimbic system. Even after long periods of abstinence, addicts remain vulnerable to drug craving and/or relapses that can be triggered by stimuli previously associated with drugs (Koob and Volkow, 2010). These features of addiction suggest that drugs might cause a form of persistent neuroplasticity that is acutely responsive to environmental stimuli, with consequent compulsive drug-seeking and taking behaviors. |
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