Molecular neurobiology of addiction

Addiction can be viewed as a form of drug-induced neural plasticity. One of The best established molecular mechanisms of addiction is the upregulation of the cAMP second messenger pathway, which occurs in man, neuronal cell t ypes in response to chronic administration of opiates or other drugs of abu se. This upregulation and The resulting activation of the transcription fac tor CREB appear to mediate aspects of tolerance and dependence. In contrast , induction of another transcription factor, termed Delta FosB, exerts the opposite effect and may contribute to sensitized responses to drug exposure . Knowledge of these mechanisms could lead to more effective treatments for addictive disorders.