Epigenetic Mechanisms on Drug Addiction

Drug addiction results from the compulsion to seek and abuse drugs even in the presence of negative side effects. Current understanding of drug and substance abuse in addiction and relapse after successful abstinence has been linked to epigenetic modifications, which impacts gene expression. These modifications are involved in the translation of environmental factors into changes in genetic expression. These changes in gene expression impact the brain's reward circuitry, which contributes to the development and tenacity of addiction by inducing pathological drug seeking and use behavior.