Neuroplasticity in addictive disorders
Year: 2009
Type: article
Abstract: Compulsive drug-taking behavior develops in vulnerable individuals who ingest substances that activate the reward system. This intense activation produces learned associations to cues that predict drug availability. With repetition the reward system becomes reflexively activated by cues alone, leading to a drive toward drug-taking. The central nervous system changes underlying this conditioned behavior are just beginning to be understood. New treatments aimed at this neuroplasticity are being tested in animal models. The clinical significance of these brain changes is that addiction, once established, becomes a chronic illness with relapses and remissions. It therefore requires chronic treatment with medications and behavioral therapies based on an understanding of the fundamental nature of these changes in the brain.
Author: Charles P. O'Brien
Institution: University of Pennsylvania
Language: English
Subfield: Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4323253592