Drug addiction : from neurobiology to treatment

Abstract EN

The neurobiology of drug and alcohol addiction is poorly understood.

This paper selectively reviews the recent advances in the neurobiology of addictions with a brief focus on treatment implications.

A MEDLINE search was conducted for identifying peer-reviewed articles published in the international journals over the past two decades.

Both acute and chronic intakes of addictive drugs by biopsychosocially vulnerable persons led to a cascade of cellular and molecular neuroadaptations mainly in the mesocorticolimbic system, which mediates reward.

The neurobiological adaptations are brought by the signal transduction mechanisms underlying multiple key components that distinguish drug addictions.

Although an advanced understanding into these mechanisms has led to the development of several drugs for the treatment of addiction, there is a further need for research for developing better drugs in the future.