Abstract

Synaptic plasticity, the substrate for learning, has been established in neural reward circuits and might involve in the learning of addictive behaviors. Long-term exposure to addictive drugs caused long-lasting memories of the drug experience. The main clinical problem that involves the persistence of addiction is a relapse that is resulted from the exposure to cues of the drug experience. Persistent forms of synaptic plasticity are associated with some of the behavioral effects of addictive drugs. Here, we present the underlying mechanisms of plasticity induced by different brain reward circuitry. Therefore, we focus on the collected evidence that drugs of abuse can disturb synaptic plasticity in the main brain circuits of addiction. Prevention of these drug-induced synaptic modifications may be helpful in the treatment of this problem of society. © 2021, Fondazione Società Italiana di Neurologia.