may, 2025
Event Details
Yingjie Zhu, Ph.D. from the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences will held a talk about “Neural circuit and social mechanism of drug addiction” during the MBExC Lecture on 28 May, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. at the lecture hall, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Hermann-Rein-Str. 3.
Abstract
Drug addiction is characterized by compulsive drug-seeking behavior despite adverse consequences. Addictive substances produce euphoria by acting on the brain’s reward system, inducing persistent changes in neural circuits that drive the progression of addiction. The vulnerability to addiction is influenced by a complex interplay of biological, psychological, and social factors. In this talk, I will present our latest findings on the cellular and circuit architecture of the lateral septum in reward processing and how maladaptive changes in this circuit contribute to methamphetamine sensitization. I will also discuss how social factors impact addiction susceptibility by remodeling the mesocortical and mesolimbic dopaminergic pathways, and explore potential therapeutic strategies that could be developed based on these insights.
Hosts: Prof. Dr. Valentin Nägerl, UMG & Prof. Dr. Erwin Neher, MPI-NAT
Poster of the talk: 
