Dopamine transmission at D1 and D2 receptors in the nucleus accumbens contributes to the expression of incubation of cocaine craving.

ABSTRACT: Relapse represents a consistent clinical problem for individuals with substance use disorder. In the incubation of craving model of persistent craving and relapse, cue-induced drug seeking progressively intensifies or 'incubates' during the first weeks of abstinence from drug self-administration and then remains high for months. Previously, we and others have demonstrated that expression of incubated cocaine craving requires strengthening of excitatory synaptic transmission in the nucleus accumbens core (NAcc). However, despite the importance of dopaminergic signaling in the NAcc for motivated behavior, little is known about the role that dopamine (DA) plays in the incubation of cocaine craving. Here we used fiber photometry to measure DA transients in the NAcc of male and female rats duri

SUBMITTER: Weber SJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11230461 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature