Neuroscience of Addiction

The neurobiology of addiction has moved beyond the mesolimbic dopamine model into a circuit-level understanding spanning the ventral and dorsal striatum, prefrontal cortex, insula, and habenula. WCAM 2027 will showcase translational work on deep brain stimulation of the nucleus accumbens for treatment-refractory OUD and AUD (FDA breakthrough designation pathway), repetitive TMS of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex for cocaine and methamphetamine craving, and ketamine and psilocybin-assisted therapy for AUD (Bogenschutz trials) and tobacco cessation (Johnson lab). Sessions will also cover real-time fMRI neurofeedback, GLP-1 mechanism in addiction, and digital biomarkers for craving prediction.