Dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area: drug-induced synaptic plasticity and its role in relapse to drug-seeking behavior.
Dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area: drug-induced synaptic plasticity and its role in relapse to drug-seeking behavior.
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DOI：
10.2174/1874473711104040270
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发表时间：
2011-11
期刊：
影响因子：
--
通讯作者：
Wenlin Sun
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Wenlin Sun
复发是药物成瘾的一个标志，也是该疾病临床治疗面临的一个艰巨挑战。尽管在过去的半个世纪里，人们对成瘾药物奖赏效应的神经生物学机制进行了广泛的研究，但最近的研究开始关注复发的神经机制。在过去的十年中，越来越多的证据表明，中皮质边缘系统中的谷氨酸和多巴胺（DA）神经递质在这一过程中起着关键作用。这篇综述着重于腹侧被盖区（VTA），特别是VTA DA神经元在复发中的作用，随后讨论了成瘾药物诱导的突触可塑性以及这种可塑性在复发风险中的潜在作用。最后，对今后的研究方向进行了展望。
Relapse is a hallmark of drug addiction and a daunting challenge facing the clinical treatment of the disease. Although the neurobiological mechanisms underlying the rewarding effects of addictive drugs, thought to play a critical role in initiating drug use, have been extensively studied for the past half century, recent research has begun to focus on the neural mechanisms underlying relapse. For the past decade, accumulating evidence indicates that glutamate and dopamine (DA) neurotransmissions in the mesocorticolimbic system are critically involved in this process. This review focuses on the role of the ventral tegmental area (VTA), particularly VTA DA neurons, in relapse, followed by a discussion of synaptic plasticity induced by addictive drugs and the potential role of such plasticity in the risk of relapse. Finally, directions for future research are presented.