Why does cue-induced craving persist in recovering opioid users despite prolonged abstinence and reduced dopamine responsiveness to the drug itself?

💡 Explanation

Cue-induced craving persists because glutamate potentiation within the nucleus accumbens strengthens the association between environmental cues and previous opioid rewards, therefore triggering craving even with reduced dopamine response to the drug itself, rather than direct receptor sensitivity changes.

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