Journal
ACS CHEMICAL NEUROSCIENCE
Volume 9, Issue 9, Pages 2114-2126Publisher
AMER CHEMICAL SOC
DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.7b00420
Keywords
Nucleus accumbens; plasticity; glia; glutamate; serotonin; opioids
Funding
- National Institute of Drug Abuse [DA031699, DA040630]
- NARSAD Young Investigator Award
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Synaptic plasticity contributes to behavioral adaptations. As a key node in the reward pathway, the nucleus accumbens (NAc) is important for determining motivation-to-action outcomes. Across animal models of motivation including addiction, depression, anxiety, and hedonic feeding, selective recruitment of neuromodulatory signals and plasticity mechanisms have been a focus of physiologists and behaviorists alike. Experience dependent plasticity mechanisms within the NAc vary depending on the distinct afferents and cell-types over time. A greater understanding of molecular mechanisms determining how these changes in synaptic strength track with behavioral adaptations will provide insight into the process of learning and memory along with identifying maladaptations underlying pathological behavior. Here, we summarize recent findings detailing how changes in NAc synaptic strength and mechanisms of plasticity manifest in various models of motivational disorders.
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