Even a short time in a stimulating learning environment can rewire the brain’s reward system and buffer it against drug dependence, a new study with mice suggests.
The findings challenge the idea that addiction is hardwired in the brain.
Scientists tracked cocaine cravings in more than 70 adult male mice and found that rodents whose daily drill included exploration, learning, and finding hidden treats were less likely than their enrichment-deprived counterparts to seek solace in a chamber where they had been given cocaine.
“We have compelling behavioral evidence that self-directed exploration and learning altered their reward systems so that when cocaine was experienced it made less of an impact on their brain,” says Linda Wilbrecht, assistant professor of psychology and neuroscience at University of California, Berkeley and senior author of the new paper in Neuropharmacology.
By contrast, mice who were not intellectually challenged and/or whose activities and diets were restricted were eager to return to the quarters where they had been injected with cocaine for weeks on end.
