Our lab has revealed the pivotal roles of two distinct dopaminergic pathways in addiction development. The mesolimbic dopamine pathway facilitates drug addiction formation, while the mesocortical dopamine pathway suppresses addictive behaviors. Notably, the research demonstrates that social dominance experiences can functionally reconfigure these dopaminergic circuits, effectively reducing drug-seeking behaviors. This study provides novel mechanistic insights into social determinants of addiction vulnerability and proposes an innovative theoretical framework for addiction intervention.  

Published in Nature Neuroscience on May 12, 2025, under the title "Social rank modulates methamphetamine-seeking in dominant and subordinate male rodents via distinct dopaminergic pathways," the paper features Dr. Yingjie Zhu as corresponding author, with Xiaofei Deng (assistant researcher), Wei Xu (associate researcher), and Yutong Liu (assistant researcher) as co-first authors.