Neurobiological Mechanisms of Addictive Disorders
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Neurobiology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2024 | Viewed by 3052
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Addiction is the most severe form of substance use disorder, is a chronic brain disorder molded by biopsychosocial factors with devastating consequences to individuals and to society. The last three decades have provided a lot of evidence on drug addiction field mostly due to the major progress in neuroscience by using news technologies, including tools to interrogate neurochemical and molecular changes either in animal models of substance abuse disorder as well as brain imaging devices to asses function and neurochemistry in humans. A hallmark of drug addiction is the uncontrollable desire to consume drugs at the expense of severe negative consequences. Moreover, addicts that successfully refrain from drug use have a high vulnerability to relapse even after months or years of abstinence. Both conceptual and neurobiological advances in research have suggested that brain stress systems are among more important vulnerability factors to contribute to the withdrawal/negative affect and preoccupation/anticipation stages of the addiction cycle that promote the compulsivity of drug-taking in addiction. Validated animal models of the stress component of addiction and improved understanding of the neurocircuitry and neuropharmacological mechanisms involved in perturbations of this component suggest that, among others, corticotropin-releasing factor systems are a viable target for the development of future medications for drug addiction.
The current understanding of drug and stress-induced neuroplasticity within the mesocorticolimbic brain system that contributes to the development of addiction and the persistence of relapse to drug seeking is one of the most prominent challenges in neurobiology and neurochemistry of drug addiction. The long-lasting behavioral abnormalities associated with addiction are thought to arise from pathological plasticity not only in dopaminergic but also in glutamatergic and opioidergic neurotransmission, among others. Identification of drug-induced neuroplasticity is crucial to understand how molecular, neurochemical and cellular adaptations contribute to the end stage of addiction, which from a clinical perspective, is a time-point where pharmacotherapy may be most effectively employed.
The neurochemical and molecular mechanisms underlying others compulsive behaviours such as eating disorder will be also included in this issue, and those mechanisms shared between natural and non-natural rewards will be highlighted. The newest molecular, neurochemical, behavioral and electrophysiological advances as well as therapeutic strategies will be aimed to be proposed for drug addiction. The topic areas of this issue highlight a range of research, including different drugs, amphetamine, cocaine, alcohol, inhalants, opiates, and natural rewards, sucrose and food, with the newest topics on molecular and neural basis of compulsive behavior following drugs.
This Special Issue attempts to explore the recent advances in neurobiological mechanisms related to addictive disorders. This Special Issue welcomes original research or review papers. The issues in a paper should be supported by sufficient data or evidence.
This special issue is supervised by Dr. Liliana Marina Cancela and assisted by our Topical Advisory Panel Member Dr. Flavia Bollati.
Dr. Liliana Marina Cancela
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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