Relapse Switch: PV Neurons Regulate Addiction Circuits
New findings show relapse in addiction results from a circuit-level imbalance in the prefrontal cortex: parvalbumin-positive (PV) inhibitory neurons act as a gate on the PFC-to-VTA reward pathway. Suppressing PV cells reduced cocaine-seeking in mice, while activating them sustained drug-seeking after withdrawal; the effect is specific to drug rewards, not sugar, and not observed in other inhibitory cells. This reveals a targetable mechanism for relapse and suggests precision therapies to rebalance this circuit.
