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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2014 Jun 5.
Published in final edited form as: Neuron. 2011 Feb 24;69(4):650–663. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2011.01.017

Figure 3. Drug-evoked synaptic plasticity in excitatory synapses onto medium spiny neurons in the NAc.

Figure 3

The schematics are drawn from postembedding EM micrograph of a drug-naive mouse (courtesy Rafael Lujan, Albacete). Note that these neurons have prominent spines. In naive animals NMDARs and GluA2-containing AMPARs are present. After several dose of cocaine (or a challenge dose that terminates withdrawal), some AMPARs are endoytosed and the synapse depressed. After weeks of withdrawal, GluA-lacking AMPARs appear, which lead to a potentation of this synapse.