Drug addiction can come back after a long time. People may start using drugs again because of stress or memories. These things can make people want to use drugs again. Before, people thought this happened because a part of the brain that controls impulses didn't work well. But now, researchers found that it's not just that the brain doesn't work well, it's that some brain circuits are out of balance. This balance is important for controlling impulses. When it's out of balance, people may want to use drugs again. The brain has a hard time stopping these impulses. Researchers are trying to understand why this happens.

A team of researchers from Korea and the US found how some brain cells control cocaine-seeking behavior. They published their findings in a science journal.

For the study, scientists taught mice to give themselves cocaine by pressing a lever.

After the mice learned this, the scientists took away the cocaine and studied what happened next.

The scientists looked at special brain cells that help control other brain cells.

They used special tools to see how these brain cells talked to each other when the mice used cocaine.

The results showed that these brain cells changed when the mice used cocaine.

These brain cells act like a brake, helping to stop impulses when the brain is working normally.

When the mice wanted cocaine, these brain cells became very active. But when the mice learned to stop wanting cocaine, these cells became less active. This means that these brain cells can change and are not fixed by addiction.

The team also found that if they stopped these brain cells from working, the mice didn't want cocaine as much. But if they made these cells work more, the mice still wanted cocaine.

This didn't happen with other types of brain cells, so it's special to these cells and drug addiction.

The researchers found the specific brain pathway involved in cocaine-seeking behavior.

These brain cells control the flow of signals to influence whether the mice want cocaine or not.

This research shows that drug addiction is a problem with brain circuits. The discovery of these brain cells will help develop new treatments.

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Source: Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology