Cocaine relapse circuitry looks different when alcohol is part of the history. In a rat model, inhibiting prelimbic cortex neurons projecting to the nucleus accumbens core blocked cue-triggered cocaine seeking after cocaine alone, but failed after sequential cocaine-alcohol polysubstance use.1 Research Highlights PL-NAc inhibition split by drug history: in a 4-group DREADD experiment, inhibiting the …
A 2026 Communications Biology rat study found that enriched housing reversed early-life-stress visceral hypersensitivity and depression-like behavior by normalizing a CB1 receptor-linked prefrontal-limbic circuit connecting prelimbic cortex, anteroventral bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, and paraventricular hypothalamus.1 Huang et al. mapped a gut-pain and mood circuit in rats, but the experiment does not prove that …
Recent scientific advancements have illuminated the crucial role of the prelimbic cortex to basolateral amygdala (PL-BLA) pathway in regulating anxiety-like behaviors. Utilizing cutting-edge optogenetic techniques and selective delta-opioid receptor (DOP) agonists, researchers have begun to decode the complex neural circuitry underlying anxiety disorders. Highlights: PL-BLA Pathway Significance: The connection between the prelimbic cortex (PL) and …