title: Ventral medial prefrontal cortex neuronal ensembles mediate context-induced relapse to heroin.
abstract: In a rat model of context-induced relapse to heroin, we identified sparsely distributed ventral medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) neurons that were activated by the heroin-associated context. Selective pharmacogenetic inactivation of these neurons inhibited context-induced drug relapse. A small subset of ventral mPFC neurons formed neuronal ensembles that encode the learned associations between heroin reward and heroin-associated contexts; re-activation of these neuronal ensembles by drug-associated contexts during abstinence provoked drug relapse.
authors.affiliation: Behavioral Neuroscience Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, US National Institutes of Health/Department of Health and Human Services, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Bossert
authors.forename: Anna L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Stern
authors.forename: Florence R M
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Theberge
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cifani
authors.forename: Eisuke
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Koya
authors.forename: Bruce T
authors.initials: BT
authors.lastname: Hope
authors.forename: Yavin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shaham
mesh_terms: D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000633:toxicity; D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D003932:Heroin / Q000633:toxicity*; D006556:Heroin Dependence / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D051381:Rats; D055502:Secondary Prevention; D013375:Substance Withdrawal Syndrome / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D000701:Analgesics, Opioid; D003932:Heroin