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MEDICAL: ADDICTION :
MEDICAL: RESEARCH :
MEDICAL: BRAIN:
In NIH-Funded Study, Researchers Uncover Early Step
in the Cascade of Brain Events Leading Up to Addiction
Date: Mon, 16 Aug 2010 09:53:06 -0400
From: "NIH OLIB (NIH/OD)" <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: In NIH-Funded Study, Researchers Uncover Early Step
in the Cascade of Brain Events Leading Up to Addiction
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH NIH News
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
http://www.nida.nih.gov/
For Immediate Release: Monday, August 16, 2010
CONTACT:
NIDA Press Office
301-443-6245
e-mail:
[log in to unmask]
IN NIH-FUNDED STUDY, RESEARCHERS UNCOVER EARLY STEP
IN THE CASCADE OF BRAIN EVENTS LEADING UP TO ADDICTION
Findings represent additional clues to help predict vulnerability to drug
abuse
A regulatory protein best known for its role in a rare genetic brain
disorder also may play a critical role in cocaine addiction, according to
a recent study in rats, funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse
(NIDA), a component of the National Institutes of Health. The study was
published today in the journal Nature Neuroscience.
Researchers at the Scripps Research Institute in Jupiter, Fla. found that
cocaine consumption increased levels of a regulatory protein called MeCP2
that shuttles back to the nucleus to influence gene expression in the
brains of rats. As levels of MeCP2 increased in the brain, so did the
animals' motivation to self-administer cocaine. This suggests that MeCP2
plays a crucial role in regulating cocaine intake in rats and perhaps in
determining vulnerability to addiction.
"This discovery, using an animal model of addiction, has exposed an
important effect of cocaine at the molecular level that could prove key to
understanding compulsive drug taking," said Dr. Nora D. Volkow, director
of NIDA. "It should open up new avenues of research on the causes and
ways to counter the behavioral changes linked to addiction in humans."
This is the second time this year that a critical factor related to
cocaine self-administration in rodents has been identified. In a study
published in July in the journal Nature, Scripps researchers identified
regulatory molecule miRNA-212 as playing a key role in cocaine intake.
However, MeCP2 increased motivation for cocaine, whereas miRNA-212 had the
opposite effect, suggesting that the latter plays a protective role
against drug seeking.
In the current study, researchers discovered that the brain's balance
between MeCP2 and miRNA-212 ultimately regulates cocaine intake. When the
balance shifts toward MeCP2, cocaine intake increases. When the balance
shifts toward miRNA-212, cocaine intake decreases. What determines the
balance is not yet understood, however, and will be the focus of future
research.
"This study represents another piece in the puzzle of determining
vulnerability to cocaine addiction," said Paul J. Kenny, senior author on
the study and an associate professor at Scripps. "If we can continue
putting the pieces together, we may be able to determine whether there are
viable treatments for this condition."
The study, authored by Heh-In Im et al., can be found online at
http://www.nature.com/neuro/journal/vaop/ncurrent/index.html
The National Institute on Drug Abuse is a component of the National
Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIDA
supports most of the world's research on the health aspects of drug abuse
and addiction. The Institute carries out a large variety of programs to
inform policy and improve practice. Fact sheets on the health effects of
drugs of abuse and information on NIDA research and other activities can
be found on the NIDA home page at www.drugabuse.gov. To order publications
in English or Spanish, call NIDA's new DrugPubs research dissemination
center at
1-877-NIDA-NIH
or
240-645-0228 (TDD)
or fax or email requests to
240-645-0227
or e-mail:
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Online ordering is available at
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NIDA's new media guide can be found at
http://drugabuse.gov/mediaguide/
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) -- The Nation's Medical Research
Agency -- includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal
agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational
medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures
for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its
programs, visit
http://www.nih.gov
##
This NIH News Release is available online at:
http://www.nih.gov/news/health/aug2010/nida-16a.htm
Sincerely,
David Dillard
Temple University
(215) 204 - 4584
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http://daviddillard.businesscard2.com
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