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Neuroscientists from the Medical University of South Carolina report in Science Advances that star-shaped brain cells known as astrocytes can "turn off" neurons involved in relapse to heroin.
E-Mail Credit: Elsevier Philadelphia, January 26, 2021 - Addiction, or substance use disorder (SUD), is a complex neurological condition that includes drug-seeking behavior among other cognitive, emotional and behavioral features. Synaptic plasticity, or changes in the way neurons communicate with one another, drives these addictive behaviors. These lasting brain changes are at the crux of why addiction is so hard to treat. Biological Psychiatry, published by Elsevier, now shows that players in the extracellular environment - not just at neuronal interfaces - contribute to addiction plastic...