"Myelination's Role in Opioid Addiction Learning"

Stanford Medicine research reveals that adaptive myelination, a process crucial for learning and skill acquisition, can also promote opioid addiction by enhancing the brain's reward circuitry. In mice, a single dose of morphine triggered myelination of dopamine-producing neurons, leading to drug-seeking behavior. Blocking myelination prevented addiction, suggesting potential strategies for treating opioid dependence.