Mechanisms and Function of Neuromodulation
Neurons are finely tuned to extract computationally relevant features from synaptic inputs. This process is influenced heavily by neuromodulators, which can transiently retune neuronal processing by altering the properties of the membrane receptors and channels involved in synaptic transmission and cell excitability. Drugs of abuse disrupt neuromodulator signaling, ultimately producing long-lasting changes in the neuronal circuits that underlie addiction establishment, expression, and relapse.
