The Circuitry Underlying the Reinstatement of Cocaine Seeking: Modulation by Deep Brain Stimulation

Abstract

The reinforcing and rewarding effects of cocaine are primarily mediated by the mesocorticolimbic dopamine system. However, a large body of evidence indicates that cocaine craving and relapse is mediated by changes in glutamatergic transmission in these same nuclei. It is currently thought that long-term neural adaptations in both the dopaminergic and glutamatergic systems are involved in the drug-associated learning underlying cocaine reinstatement. In this chapter, we will focus on dopaminergic and glutamatergic transmission underlying cocaine reinstatement, with a particular emphasis on how these changes can inform the use of deep brain stimulation as a therapeutic intervention for cocaine craving and relapse. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)