Pairing extinction training with vagus nerve stimulation reduces drug-seeking by altering activity in afferents to the medial prefrontal cortex
Sven Kroener
IntroductionRelapse triggered by drug-associated cues remains a major challenge in treating substance use disorders, as extinction learning is often weak and context dependent. Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) enhances learning-related plasticity and, when paired with extinction training, reduces cue-induced reinstatement of cocaine seeking; however, the underlying circuit mechanisms remain unclear.MethodsWe examined how VNS paired with extinction reshapes medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) networks t