New insights on the neural mechanisms underlying compulsive drug use during cocaine addiction

Drug addiction is characterized by compulsive drug use among individuals despite adverse consequences underlying such tendencies. However, the specific neural circuits underlying the mechanisms of addictive behavior remain unidentified. In a new study now published in Science Advances, Yang Chen and a research team in medical sciences, biomimetic drugs, and neuroscience in China conducted several experiments with animal models to understand specific neural mechanisms behind cocaine addiction.