Orchestrating Opiate-Associated Memories in Thalamic Circuits

exposuretoevenasmallamountofdrugitselfismorepotentintriggeringrelapselongaftercessationofchronicdruguse(Bos-sertetal.,2013;Shahametal.,2003;Venniroetal.,2016).Impor-tantly,transientinhibitionofthePVT/NAcpathwaycompletelypreventedmorphine-primed(10mg/kg,i.p.)relapseat4or14daysofabstinence(Figure2E)buthadnoeffectonmorphine-inducedincreaseoflocomotion(Figure2F).Lastly,whenthepathwaywasinhibitedinanovelenvironment,themiceshowedarobustCPPwhentested1daylater(Figure2G),indicatingthatmemoryretrievalisrequiredforPVT/NAcpathwayinhibitioncauseddisruptionofmorphineCPP.Together,theseresultsrevealthatactivityinthePVT/NAcpathwayisrequiredforboththeretrievalandmaintenanceofopiate-associatedmemoriesandsubstantiatethePVT/NAcpathwayasapotenttargetforrelapseprevention.Accordingtomemoryreconsolidationtheory,retrievalcanputmemoriesintoalabilestate,inwhichtheybecomemoresuscep-tibletochange(Naderetal.,2000).Thelabilestageofretrievedmemoriesisatime-dependentprocess(<6hafterretrieval)calledreconsolidation,w