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Updated: Oct 29, 2025

Using Optogenetics to Reverse Neuroplasticity and Inhibit Cocaine Seeking in Rats
Published on: October 5, 2021
DRD3-dependent plasticity within the VP drives subcircuit activity critical for cocaine seeking
Rianne R Campbell1, Mary Kay Lobo1
1Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
Abstract:
The ventral pallidum (VP) is a key hub within the reward system that mediates drug-seeking behaviors. However, molecular and cellular adaptations within the VP following drug use are not fully elucidated. In this issue of Neuron, Pribiag et al. (2021) demonstrate how cocaine induces circuit-specific changes within the VP via dopamine-receptor-D3-dependent processes to promote cocaine seeking.
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