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Morphine alters the structure of neurons in the nucleus accumbens and neocortex of rats
Author(s) -
Robinson Terry E.,
Kolb Bryan
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
synapse
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.809
H-Index - 106
eISSN - 1098-2396
pISSN - 0887-4476
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1098-2396(199908)33:2<160::aid-syn6>3.0.co;2-s
Subject(s) - nucleus accumbens , neocortex , dendritic spine , neuroscience , forebrain , prefrontal cortex , synapse , morphine , medium spiny neuron , chemistry , biology , dopamine , central nervous system , basal ganglia , pharmacology , hippocampal formation , cognition
Rats were given repeated injections of 10 mg/kg of morphine and were then left undisturbed for 24–25 days before their brains were processed for Golgi‐Cox staining. Prior exposure to morphine decreased the complexity of dendritic branching and the number of dendritic spines on medium spiny neurons in the shell of the nucleus accumbens and on pyramidal cells in the prefrontal and parietal cortex. It is suggested that some of the long‐term behavioral consequences of repeated exposure to morphine may be due to its ability to reorganize patterns of synaptic connectivity in the forebrain. Synapse 33:160–162, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.