Basic research in rodents has shown that adult hippocampal neurogenesis (AHN) plays a key role in neuropsychiatric disorders that compromise hippocampal functioning. The discovery that dependence-inducing drugs regulate AHN has led to escalating interest in the potential involvement of AHN in drug addiction over the last decade, with cocaine being one of the most frequently investigated drugs. This review argues that, unlike other drugs of abuse, preclinical studies do not, overall, support that cocaine induces a marked or persistent impairment in AHN. Nevertheless, experimental reduction of AHN consistently exacerbates vulnerability to cocaine. Interestingly, preliminary evidence suggests that, on the contrary, increasing AHN might help both to prevent and treat addiction.

啮齿动物的基础研究表明，成年海马神经发生（AHN）在损害海马功能的神经精神疾病中起关键作用。在过去的十年中，依赖诱导药物调节AHN的发现导致人们对AHN可能与吸毒成瘾的兴趣日益增加，可卡因是研究最频繁的药物之一。这篇评论认为，与其他滥用药物不同，临床前研究总体上不支持可卡因引起AHN的显着或持续性损伤。尽管如此，实验性减少AHN一直加剧了对可卡因的脆弱性。有趣的是，初步证据表明，相反，增加AHN可能有助于预防和治疗成瘾。