Research progress on neural circuits related to drug addiction

Drug addiction represents a complex chronic brain disorder, characterized by its inherent addictiveness and high relapse rate. As complex functional networks constructed by neurons through synaptic connections, neural circuits have been progressively elucidated by recent studies to play critical regulatory roles in the formation, maintenance and relapse of drug addiction, emerging as the core entry point for current research on the neural mechanisms of addiction. The neural circuits primarily involved in addiction include the mesolimbic ventral tegmental area-nucleus accumbens(VTA-NAc)reward circuit, prefrontal cortex (PFC)-associated executive control circuits, and paraventricular thalamic nucleus (PVT)-related circuits. Neural circuits can also mediate the formation of addictive memories through the synergistic integration of drug reward effects and environmental cues. Studies have shown that specific interventions targeting neural circuits can effectively extinguish addictive memories and alleviate relapse. This study systematically reviews the recent research advances, summarizing the key neural circuits of drug addiction and their roles in addictive mechanisms, with the aim of providing theoretical support for the development of precision therapeutic strategies based on neural circuit intervention. Future research needs to further reveal the dynamic changes in neural circuits, explore the cellular and molecular mechanisms of different types of addiction, and promote the development of targeted interventions for neural circuits.