Increases in alpha calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase type II (αCaMKII) activity in the nucleus accumbens shell has been proposed as a core component in the motivation to self-administer cocaine and in priming-induced drug-seeking. Since cocaine withdrawal promotes drug-seeking, we hypothesized that abstinence from cocaine self-administration should enhance αCaMKII as well. We found th...

Persistent drug-seeking behavior is hypothesized to co-opt the brain's natural reward-motivational system. Although ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine (DA) neurons represent a crucial component of this system, the synaptic adaptations underlying natural rewards and drug-related motivation have not been fully elucidated. Here, we show that self-administration of cocaine, but not passive cocai...

Disease (particularly HIV) has increased our motivation to reconsider how the current help system deals with drug-related problems. A more concrete focus on disease prevention as an additional goal has, for many, lead to a reevaluation of the goals of drug help work. Such a critical examination shows how much there is to improve within the system even in the absence of blood borne disease. Inte...

Addiction is a chronic brain disorder. Prolonged abstinence from drugs of abuse involves dysphoria, high stress responsiveness and craving. The neurobiology of drug abstinence, however, is poorly understood. We previously identified a unique set of hundred mu-opioid receptor-dependent genes in the extended amygdala, a key site for hedonic and stress processing in the brain. Here we examined the...

BACKGROUND The self-help groups Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) are very well established. AA and NA employ a 12-step program and are found in most large cities around the world. Although many have argued that these organizations are valuable, substantial scepticism remains as to whether they are actually effective. Few treatment facilities give clear recommendations to f...

BACKGROUND Relapse among abstinent drug users is normal. Several factors are related to relapse, but it remains unclear what individuals' actual life circumstances are during periods of abstinence, and how these circumstances facilitate or prevent relapse. OBJECTIVE To illuminate drug users' experiences during abstinence periods and explore the real-life catalysts and inhibitors contributing ...

Most of the behavioral pharmacology research that has examined variables controlling drug self-reinforced behavior has been concerned with well-trained steady-state levels of drug-maintained responding. Little attention has been directed toward transition states such as the initial acquisition of drug-reinforced responding or reacquisition of responding after a period of abstinence (relapse). I...

Methamphetamine is a widely abused, highly addictive drug. Regulation of synaptic proteins within the brain's reward pathway modulates addiction behaviours, the progression of drug addiction and long-term changes in brain structure and function that result from drug use. Therefore, using large scale proteomics studies we aim to identify global protein expression changes within the dorsal striat...

Extensive evidence indicates that current and recently abstinent cocaine abusers compared to drug-naïve controls have decreased grey matter in regions such as the anterior cingulate, lateral prefrontal and insular cortex. Relatively little is known, however, about the persistence of these deficits in long-term abstinence despite the implications this has for recovery and relapse. Optimized voxe...