Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 17, 2026

Rodent Brain Microinjection to Study Molecular Substrates of Motivated Behavior
Published on: September 16, 2015
Neurobiological mechanisms of addiction: focus on corticotropin-releasing factor
George F Koob1, Eric P Zorrilla
1The Scripps Research Institute, Committee on the Neurobiology of Addictive Disorders, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, SP30-2400, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA. gkoob@scripps.edu
Abstract:
Drug addiction is a chronically relapsing disorder that is characterized by a compulsion to take drugs and loss of control in limiting intake. Medications that are on the market for the treatment of drug addiction target either the direct reinforcing effects of abuse (eg, naltrexone) or the consequent protracted abstinence syndrome (eg, acamprosate). Both conceptual and neurobiological advances in research have suggested that brain stress systems 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 corticotropin-releasing factor systems are a viable target for the development of future medications for drug addiction.
Related Concept Videos
Drug Abuse and Addiction: Pharmacological Phenomena
Regulation of Food Intake
Neurochemical Transmission: Sites of Drug Action
CNS Stimulants: Cocaine, Amphetamines and Cannabinoids
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Diagnostic Criteria and Symptoms
To diagnose ADHD, symptoms must manifest before age 12 and be evident across multiple settings.
CNS Depressants: Alcohol and Nicotine

