Electroacupuncture prevents cocaine-induced conditioned place preference reinstatement and attenuates ΔFosB and GluR2 expression.

Acupuncture has been used for treating drug addiction since the 1970s, but little is known about the mechanisms by which acupuncture affects drug cue-induced relapse. The transcription factor delta-FosB (ΔFosB) plays a critical role in behavior and pathology after chronic use of cocaine. ΔFosB regulates glutamate receptor signaling and dendritic spine morphology in animal models.