Cocaine withdrawal reduces GABA R transmission at entopeduncular nucleus - lateral habenula synapses.

Lateral habenula (LHb) hyperactivity plays a pivotal role in the emergence of negative emotional states, including those occurring during withdrawal from addictive drugs. We have previously implicated cocaine-driven adaptations at synapses from the entopeduncular nucleus (EPN) to the LHb in this process. Specifically, ionotropic GABA receptor (R)-mediated neurotransmission at EPN-to-LHb synapses is reduced during cocaine withdrawal, due to impaired vesicle filling.