Epigenetics of Drug Addiction

This chapter examines the rapidly evolving field of neuroepigenetics and the role of these processes in addiction. Although the cellular and neurophysiological processes underlying the addictive properties of drugs have been studied for decades, more recent research has demonstrated that drugs of abuse can also induce alterations in the epigenome which are critically involved in addiction and substance use disorders (SUDs). First, we provide a brief overview of the neural circuits involved in drug addiction and synaptic plasticity processes. With respect to drug-induced alterations to the epigenome, we will describe various works which have uncovered how drugs of abuse recruit epigenetic mechanisms to modify reward circuitry in addiction both using animal models and in clinical observations. We conclude the chapter by discussing future research directions for studying epigenetics in drug addiction, as well as therapeutic options that can potentially be developed by targeting these processes.