About this Research Topic
Drug addiction, characterized by compulsive drug-seeking, is a chronic mental disorder. Repeated drug administration not only hijacks the brain reward system but also leads to dysfunction in the central nervous system. Drug-induced neurological disorders bring a tremendous socioeconomic burden to the addicts and the whole community. In recent decades, important advances have been made concerning the basic neurobiology of drug abuse and neurotoxicity; however, these findings have not given rise to the development of efficacious therapy. Drug control may be more challenging since the molecular process of drug abuse, especially the underlying mechanisms of relapse, has not been well elucidated. Therefore, studies that help to understand the biological basis of drug addiction are urgently needed.
This Research Topic aims to gather recent advances in the field of drug abuse, improving the knowledge of drug addiction and its neurotoxicity at the molecular and cellular levels, which mainly focus on genetic regulation, epigenetic modification, cellular RNA translation, protein synthesis, synaptic transmission, etc. Contributions that provide the neurobiology of drug abuse from a neuronal and behavioral point of view will be considered. Besides, studies that have the potential to provide new therapeutic strategies are especially welcomed. Articles that report the adverse effects of drug abuse in cellular levels are also under our concern, including but not limited to neuronal apoptosis, necrosis, oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, etc.
The Research Topic “Molecular mechanism of substance abuse and its neurotoxicity” welcomes manuscripts that focus on substances including cocaine, heroin, cannabis, synthetic opioid, methamphetamine, alcohol, nicotine, etc. Authors are encouraged to submit original research articles, review articles, mini-reviews, and short communications related to this issue.
The scope of the topic is to describe various signaling pathways and mechanisms of drug addiction in the different phases and their neurotoxic effects, as well as potential therapeutic strategies for the disorders. The generation of a translational perspective of the issues is anticipated through original research and review in basic and clinical studies.
The topics of interest contain, but are not limited to, the following themes:
- Cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying drug-induced addictive behavior, including protein-protein interaction and key molecules signaling and pathways
- Signaling pathways in addictive drug-induced neurotoxicity
- The molecular mechanisms of behavior and pharmaceutical interventions for relapse prevention
- Biomarkers and potential pharmacology targets in drug addictive diagnosis and treatment
This Research Topic aims to gather recent advances in the field of drug abuse, improving the knowledge of drug addiction and its neurotoxicity at the molecular and cellular levels, which mainly focus on genetic regulation, epigenetic modification, cellular RNA translation, protein synthesis, synaptic transmission, etc. Contributions that provide the neurobiology of drug abuse from a neuronal and behavioral point of view will be considered. Besides, studies that have the potential to provide new therapeutic strategies are especially welcomed. Articles that report the adverse effects of drug abuse in cellular levels are also under our concern, including but not limited to neuronal apoptosis, necrosis, oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, etc.
The Research Topic “Molecular mechanism of substance abuse and its neurotoxicity” welcomes manuscripts that focus on substances including cocaine, heroin, cannabis, synthetic opioid, methamphetamine, alcohol, nicotine, etc. Authors are encouraged to submit original research articles, review articles, mini-reviews, and short communications related to this issue.
The scope of the topic is to describe various signaling pathways and mechanisms of drug addiction in the different phases and their neurotoxic effects, as well as potential therapeutic strategies for the disorders. The generation of a translational perspective of the issues is anticipated through original research and review in basic and clinical studies.
The topics of interest contain, but are not limited to, the following themes:
- Cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying drug-induced addictive behavior, including protein-protein interaction and key molecules signaling and pathways
- Signaling pathways in addictive drug-induced neurotoxicity
- The molecular mechanisms of behavior and pharmaceutical interventions for relapse prevention
- Biomarkers and potential pharmacology targets in drug addictive diagnosis and treatment
Keywords: Drug Addiction, Molecular Mechanisms, Neurotoxicity, Relapse, Biomarkers
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
