Sugar addiction

Sugar addiction is the state of addiction to sugar consumption.

Sugar has been shown to induce ΔFosB in D1-type medium spiny neurons in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc).^[1]^[2] Consequently, regular consumption of large quantities of sugar can result in a state of addiction to sugar.^[1]^[2]

Summary of addiction-related plasticity

Form of neural or behavioral plasticity	Type of reinforcer						Sources
Form of neural or behavioral plasticity	Opiates	Psychostimulants	High fat or sugar food	Sexual intercourse	Physical exercise (aerobic)	Environmental enrichment	Sources
ΔFosB expression in nucleus accumbens D1-type MSNs	↑	↑	↑	↑	↑	↑	^[2]
Behavioral plasticity
Escalation of intake	Yes	Yes	Yes				^[2]
Psychostimulant cross-sensitization	Yes	Not applicable	Yes	Yes	Attenuated	Attenuated	^[2]
Psychostimulant self-administration	↑	↑	↓		↓	↓	^[2]
Psychostimulant conditioned place preference	↑	↑	↓	↑	↓	↑	^[2]
Reinstatement of drug-seeking behavior	↑	↑			↓	↓	^[2]
Neurochemical plasticity
CREB phosphorylation in the nucleus accumbens	↓	↓	↓		↓	↓	^[2]
Sensitized dopamine response in the nucleus accumbens	No	Yes	No	Yes			^[2]
Altered striatal dopamine signaling	↓DRD2, ↑DRD3	↑DRD1, ↓DRD2, ↑DRD3	↑DRD1, ↓DRD2, ↑DRD3		↑DRD2	↑DRD2	^[2]
Altered striatal opioid signaling	↑μ-opioid receptors	↑μ-opioid receptors ↑κ-opioid receptors	↑μ-opioid receptors	↑μ-opioid receptors	No change	No change	^[2]
Changes in striatal opioid peptides	↑dynorphin	↑dynorphin	↓enkephalin		↑dynorphin	↑dynorphin	^[2]
Mesocorticolimbic synaptic plasticity
Number of dendrites in the nucleus accumbens	↓	↑		↑			^[2]
Dendritic spine density in the nucleus accumbens	↓	↑		↑			^[2]

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