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Updated: Dec 23, 2025

Inducing Long-Term Plasticity of Intrinsic Neuronal Excitability in Neurons of the Dorsal Lateral Geniculate Nucleus
Published on: September 20, 2024
Drug-Evoked Synaptic Plasticity of Excitatory Transmission in the Ventral Tegmental Area
Camilla Bellone1,2, Michael Loureiro1,2, Christian Lüscher1,2
1Department of Basic Neurosciences, University of Geneva, 1211 Geneva 14, Switzerland.
Abstract:
Cocaine leads to a strong euphoria, which is at the origin of its recreational use. Past the acute effects, the drug leaves traces in the brain that persist long after it has been cleared from the body. These traces eventually shape behavior such that drug use may become compulsive, and addiction develops. Here, we discuss cocaine-evoked synaptic plasticity of glutamatergic transmission onto dopamine (DA) neurons of the ventral tegmental area (VTA) as one of the earliest traces after a first injection of cocaine. We review the literature that has examined the induction requirements, as well as the expression mechanism of this form of plasticity, and ask the question about its functional significance.
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