The ventral hippocampus and nucleus accumbens as neural substrates for cocaine contextual memory reconsolidation.

ABSTRACT: Addictive drugs engage molecular pathways of associative learning and memory. Drug craving triggered by cues that were once associated with drug intoxication contributes to continued drug-seeking behaviors. Reactivated memories are vulnerable to disruption by interference with the process of reconsolidation, hence targeting reconsolidation could be beneficial in reducing cue-induced drug craving and relapse. Here, we sought to identify the neuronal pathways and neuroplasticity involved in cocaine contextual memory reconsolidation. Mice expressing inhibitory DREADDs in either nucleus accumbens (NAc) neurons or neurons in the ventral hippocampus (vHPC) projecting to NAc underwent cocaine place conditioning to establish cocaine contextual memories. Clozapine-N-oxide (CNO) administered after m

SUBMITTER: Caban Rivera C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12783833 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature