Remission from addiction: erasing the wrong circuits or making new ones?

Engeln M(1), Ahmed SH(2).

Author information:
(1)Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, INCIA, UMR 5287, Bordeaux, France.
.
(2)Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, INCIA, UMR 5287, Bordeaux, France.

Chronic relapse is a hallmark of substance-use disorders (SUDs), but many people
with SUDs do recover and eventually enter remission. Many preclinical studies in
this field aim to identify interventions that can precipitate recovery by
reversing or erasing the neuronal circuit changes caused by chronic drug use. A
better understanding of remission from SUDs can also come from preclinical
studies that model factors known to influence recovery in humans, such as the
negative consequences of drug use and positive environmental influences. In this
Perspective we discuss human neuroimaging studies that have provided information
about recovery from SUDs and highlight mechanisms identified in preclinical
studies – such as the reconfiguration of neuronal circuits – that could
contribute to remission. We also analyse how studies of memory and forgetting
can provide insights into the mechanisms of remission. Overall, we propose that
remission can be driven by the introduction of new neuronal changes (which
outcompete those induced by drugs) as well as by the erasure of drug-induced
changes.

© 2024. Springer Nature Limited.

DOI: 10.1038/s41583-024-00886-y
PMID: 39663409

Conflict of interest statement: Competing interests: The authors declare no
conflict of interest.

Auteurs Bordeaux Neurocampus