Hot Off the Press – January 3, 2021 Learning what to learn about and generalizing from one situation to another is arguably one of the most fundamental abilities that distinguishes higher intelligence. The effects of the resultant schemas can be seen in simple motor or sensory processing, in which learning one skill facilitates acquisition of… [Read More]
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Long-Term Cocaine Self-administration Produces Structural Brain Changes That Correlate With Altered Cognition
Hot Off the Press – December 21, 2020 This paper used longitudinal imaging and neurocognitive assessments in matched experimental and control macaque monkeys to study changes following chronic cocaine self-administration and extended abstinence. True baseline measures prior to any cocaine exposure, something not available in clinical cross-sectional comparisons, permitted a determination of changes in structure… [Read More]
Distinct Signaling by Ventral Tegmental Area Glutamate, GABA, and Combinatorial Glutamate-GABA Neurons in Motivated Behavior
Hot Off the Press – November 23 , 2020 The Ventral tegmental area (VTA) is best known for containing dopamine neurons that play a role in motivated behavior. However, we had previously demonstrated that the VTA has neurons that co-transmit glutamate and GABA, neurons that transmit glutamate without GABA, and neurons that transmit GABA without… [Read More]
Processing in Lateral Orbitofrontal Cortex Is Required to Estimate Subjective Preference during Initial, but Not Established, Economic Choice
Hot Off the Press – November 23 , 2020 Adaptive decision making requires us to imagine – or mentally simulate – potential outcomes, particularly when potential outcomes are far off, uncertain, or even anecdotal. This ability depends in part on the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) , an important part of the frontal lobe altered in addiction…. [Read More]
In a Rat Model of Opioid Maintenance, the G Protein-Biased Mu Opioid Receptor Agonist TRV130 Decreases Relapse to Oxycodone Seeking and Taking and Prevents Oxycodone-Induced Brain Hypoxia
Hot Off the Press – November 17 , 2020 Bossert et al. used a rat model of opioid agonist maintenance therapy to study the effect of the novel G-protein-biased mu opioid receptor (MOR) agonist TRV130 on relapse oxycodone seeking and taking during abstinence. They showed that TRV130 decreased oxycodone seeking and taking during abstinence in… [Read More]
VTA Glutamatergic Neurons Mediate Innate Defensive Behaviors
Hot Off the Press – November 11 , 2020 The role of ventral tegmental area (VTA) in motivated behavior is well established. However, Barbano et al., demonstrated that a subset of VTA neurons, that utilizes glutamate as signaling molecule, mediates innate defensive behaviors, evolutionary selected responses that promote escaping from dangerous situations. Alterations in innate… [Read More]
Fentanyl vapor self-administration model in mice to study opioid addiction
Hot Off the Press – August 27 , 2020. This paper describes a new non-invasive model of opioid addiction in mice that is based on fentanyl vapor self-administration. This model allows the study of limited and prolonged drug intake, abstinence, and relapse to drug seeking. Compared to current intravenous models, the new model is more… [Read More]
Converging structural and functional evidence for a rat salience network
Hot Off the Press – July 17 , 2020. The human salience network (SN) detects relevant stimuli to guide behavior and is implicated in neuropsychiatric diseases. In this study, we identified a functionally and structurally connected rat SN sharing spatial similarity with humans. We further demonstrated the functional implications of this network with conditioned heroin… [Read More]
New Challenges in Addiction Medicine: COVID-19 Infection in Patients With Alcohol and Substance Use Disorders-The Perfect Storm
Hot Off the Press – July 14 , 2020. In this article the authors discuss the heightened risks for individuals living with alcohol and substance use disorders during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Physiological, psychological, medical and economic consequences are described in relation to inaction including the far-reaching implications on the individual, society and global sphere…. [Read More]
Abstinence-dependent dissociable central amygdala microcircuits control drug craving
Hot Off the Press – March 27 , 2020. The current study offers a mechanistic explanation for the protective effect of social interaction on incubation of craving in rodents, showing that it is mediated by the activation of neurons expressing the enzyme PKCδ the brain’s amygdala. The study also shows that activation of a peptide… [Read More]
