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A role for BDNF in cocaine reward and relapse

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Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is important in regulating synaptic plasticity in the brain areas that process reward information. A new study reports that BDNF in the nucleus accumbens, a brain area critical for the rewarding effects of cocaine, promotes persistent cocaine-seeking behaviors and heightens relapse vulnerability.

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Figure 1: Potential mechanisms underlying the effects of accumbens injections of BDNF or adeno-associated viral vector, which encodes CRE-recombinase to knock down local BDNF protein production, on cocaine reward and relapse.

Kim Caesar

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Geoffrey Schoenbaum and Thomas Stalnaker are in the Departments of Anatomy and Neurobiology and Psychiatry, USA. Geoffrey Schoenbaum is also in the Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, School of Medicine, 20 Penn Street, HSF-2 S251, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, Maryland 21228, USA. schoenbg@schoenbaumlab.org,

    Geoffrey Schoenbaum & Thomas A Stalnaker

  2. Department of Health and Human Services, Yavin Shaham is in the Behavioral Neuroscience Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, US National Institutes of Health, 5500 Nathan Shock Drive, Baltimore, Maryland 21224, USA.,

    Yavin Shaham

Authors
  1. Geoffrey Schoenbaum
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  2. Thomas A Stalnaker
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  3. Yavin Shaham
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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Schoenbaum, G., Stalnaker, T. & Shaham, Y. A role for BDNF in cocaine reward and relapse. Nat Neurosci 10, 935–936 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/nn0807-935

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