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Science & ResearchSep 1, 2026

Cocaine-Enhanced Enkephalin Gates Plasticity of Distinct Striatal Synapses and Facilitates Cue-Induced Cocaine-Seeking During Abstinence

Background: Cocaine seeking after abstinence is associated with increased ventral pallidum (VP) activity.

Background: Cocaine seeking after abstinence is associated with increased ventral pallidum (VP) activity. This increase appears to involve an opioid peptide that suppresses GABA release from D2 receptor-expressing medium spiny neurons (D2-MSNs) to the VP, but its identity is…

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