Gene Delivery and Addiction

National Institute On Drug Abuse

Investigators

Linked publications, trials & patents

Abstract

In collaboration with Dr. Mikko Airavaara (U Helsinki) we demonstrated that GDNF in the nucleus accumbens can suppress alcohol seeking behavior in mice. This work has been published in J Biomed Sci. Our group demonstrated that MDMA and caffeine work synergistically to alter ER stress under hyperthermic conditions. This work provides a basis for understanding changes to cells in the brain under conditions where environmental temperature is high and MDMA and caffeine are abused. The work was published in Int J Mol Sci. In collaboration with Dr. Carl Lupica (NIDA IRP) and Dr. Bruce Hope (NIDA IRP), we developed and characterized a Parvalbumin-Cre driver rat and used it to examine serotonin signaling in the rat orbitorfrontal cortex parvalbumin neurons in response to cocaine withdrawl. This work has been published in eNeuro. Our group examined how free fatty acids found in some diets can effect ER stress and ER membrane lipid composition. We show that adaptations to ER stress caused by ER calcium depletion have minimal impact on membrane composition of various subcellular compartments despite a robust ER stress response. In contrast, free fatty acids cause robust changes in lipid composition without significantly activating an ER stress response. Our studies were carried out in a human neuronal cell line. The work was published in Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Cell Biol Lipids