CHRONIC MORPHINE-INDUCED SENSITIZED LOCOMOTOR RESPONSES AND DENDRITIC MORPHOLOGY ALTERATIONS IN RAT NUCLEUS ACCUMBENS

Opioid addiction is a manifestation of enduring changes in the brain resulting from chronic opioid use. The neural mechanisms involved in these changes are similar to those related to learning and memory. Alterations in dendritic morphology are neuroplasticity processes linked to long-term memory and may underlie some processes of opioid addiction, such as behavioral sensitization.