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Rapid, transient potentiation of dendritic spines in context‐induced relapse to cocaine seeking
Author(s) -
Stankeviciute Neringa M.,
Scofield Michael D.,
Kalivas Peter W.,
Gipson Cassandra D.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
addiction biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.445
H-Index - 78
eISSN - 1369-1600
pISSN - 1355-6215
DOI - 10.1111/adb.12064
Subject(s) - long term potentiation , nucleus accumbens , context (archaeology) , neuroscience , addiction , dendritic spine , synaptic plasticity , psychology , vulnerability (computing) , neuroplasticity , medicine , central nervous system , biology , paleontology , receptor , computer security , hippocampal formation , computer science
Addiction to cocaine produces long‐lasting, stable changes in brain synaptic physiology that might contribute to the vulnerability to relapse. In humans, exposure to environmental contexts previously paired with drug use precipitates relapse, but the neurobiological mechanisms mediating this process are unknown. Initiation of cocaine relapse via re‐exposure to a drug‐associated context elicited reinstatement of cocaine seeking as well as rapid, transient synaptic plasticity in the nucleus accumbens core ( NA core), measured as an increase in dendritic spine diameter. These results show that rapid context‐evoked synaptic potentiation in the NA core may underpin relapse to cocaine use.