A Specific Limbic Circuit Underlies Opiate Withdrawal Memories

• DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.3090-04.2005
• Publication Date: 2005-02-09T21:52:47Z
• Authors: François Frenois; Luis Stinus; Francesco Di Blasi; Martine Cador; Catherine Le Moine
• Keywords: Basolateral amygdala; Opiate; Biological neural network

Compulsive drug-seeking behavior and its renewal in former drug addicts is promoted by several situations, among which reactivation of withdrawal memories plays a crucial role. A neural hypothesis that such reactivate the circuits involved itself promote motivational state leading to seeking or taking. To test this hypothesis, we have analyzed cell populations recruited when opiate-dependent rats are reexposed stimuli previously paired with (memory retrieval) compared them those underlying acute during conditioning formation). Using situ hybridization for c-fos expression, report here reexposure withdrawal-paired environment induced conditioned responses specific limbic circuit, can be partially dissociated from structures withdrawal. At amygdala level, were doubly between central basolateral (BLA) nuclei, comparing two situations. Detailed phenotypical analyses ventral tegmental area (VTA) show subpopulations BLA differentially formation retrieval memories, strikingly population VTA dopamine neurons activated both Together, indicates drive activity changes neuronal interconnected areas known aversive processes. This first study on substrates strongly supports an incentive-motivational view opiate addiction could compulsive relapse.