Neurobiology of Craving and Relapse in Long-Term Addiction Recovery
Department of Neurology and Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Neurosciences, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Corresponding Author: Bhattacharya T, Doctus Journal of Neurosciences.
Abstract
Relapse after sustained abstinence is the defining clinical problem in addiction medicine. This review draws together imaging, electrophysiological and animal-model evidence on the circuits that sustain craving beyond the period of physical withdrawal. Convergent findings implicate glutamatergic projections from prefrontal cortex to nucleus accumbens in cue-driven reinstatement, while stress-induced relapse appears to depend more on extended amygdala signalling. We examine why incubation of craving continues for months, review the pharmacological agents targeting each pathway, and argue that relapse prevention trials measuring only abstinence miss the intermediate changes in cue reactivity that predict long-term outcome.
Keywords
Craving; Relapse; Addiction; Nucleus Accumbens; Cue Reactivity; Neurocircuitry
How to Cite
Bhattacharya T and Mondal D. “Neurobiology of Craving and Relapse in Long-Term Addiction Recovery”. Doctus Journal of Neurosciences 1.4 (2026): 18-34.
Copyright and Licence
© 2026 Bhattacharya T. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution Licence, which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.