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Cocaine-evoked synaptic plasticity: a key to addiction?

Nature Neuroscience volume 11, pages 737–738 (2008)Cite this article

Drugs of abuse are known to induce changes in synaptic strength in the reward neurons of the brain. Two recent studies shed some light on how drug-induced plasticity might mediate addictive behavior long after drug use.

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Figure 1: Timeline of cocaine-evoked synaptic plasticity in the nucleus accumbens.
Figure 2: The spiral to addiction.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Basic Neurosciences, Medical Faculty, University of Geneva, Geneva, CH-1211, Switzerland

    Christian Lüscher & Camilla Bellone

  2. Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Christian Lüscher is also at the Clinic of Neurology, Geneva University Hospital, CH-1211 Geneva, Switzerland. christian.luscher@medecine.unige.ch,

    Christian Lüscher

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  1. Christian Lüscher
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  2. Camilla Bellone
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Lüscher, C., Bellone, C. Cocaine-evoked synaptic plasticity: a key to addiction?. Nat Neurosci 11, 737–738 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/nn0708-737

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