title: Drug abuse and the neurovascular unit.
abstract: Drug abuse continues to create a major international epidemic affecting society. A great majority of past drug abuse research has focused mostly on the mechanisms of addiction and the specific effects of substance use disorders on brain circuits and pathways that modulate reward, motivation, craving, and decision making. Few studies have focused on the neurobiology of acute and chronic substance abuse as it relates to the neurovascular unit (brain endothelial cell, neuron, astrocyte, microglia, and pericyte). Increasing research indicates that all cellular components of the neurovascular unit play a pivotal role in both the process of addiction and how drug abuse affects the brain response to diseases. This review will focus on the specific effects of opioids, amphetamines, alcohol, and nicotine on the neurovascular unit and its role in addiction and adaption to brain diseases. Elucidation of the role of the neurovascular unit on the neurobiology associated with drug addiction will help to facilitate the development of better therapeutic approaches for drug-dependent individuals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Toxicology, Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, Marshall University, Huntington, West Virginia, USA. Electronic address: egleton@marshall.edu.
authors.forename: Richard D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Egleton
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Amarillo, Texas, USA. Electronic address: thomas.abbruscato@ttuhsc.edu.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Abbruscato
mesh_terms: D000662:Amphetamines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D009538:Nicotine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D000662:Amphetamines; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid; D000431:Ethanol; D009538:Nicotine
keywords: Alcohol; Amphetamine; Astrocyte; Endothelial; Locus coeruleus; Microglia; Neuron; Nicotine; Opioids