Brain's defence against cocaine

摘要

Long-term exposure to cocaine changes the organization of synaptic connections within the addiction circuitry of the brain. This process might protect against the development and persistence of addiction. Neurons modify their structure and communication with other neurons in response to experiences. Such experience-dependent neuroplasticity is crucial for survival because it allows learning from, and responses to, changes in the environment. But the cellular mechanisms that mediate this process can also be co-opted by drugs of abuse. Reporting in Neuron, Pulipparacharuvil et al. describe how some of the chemical, structural and behavioural changes in neurons that are induced by repeated exposure to cocaine are regulated at a molecular level.