Why does craving intensify during drug withdrawal in addiction, overriding normal reward responses?

💡 Explanation

Craving intensifies during withdrawal because dopamine sensitization occurs in the mesolimbic pathway, leading to an increased response to drug-associated cues and an overall receptor upregulation that drives the desire for the drug; therefore, the sensitized dopamine system amplifies craving rather than other neurotransmitter systems like endorphins or serotonin.

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