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Upregulation of L‐type Ca v 1 channels in the development of psychological dependence
Author(s) -
Shibasaki Masahiro,
Kurokawa Kazuhiro,
Ohkuma Seitaro
Publication year - 2010
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/syn.20745
Subject(s) - downregulation and upregulation , methamphetamine , nifedipine , forebrain , chemistry , endocrinology , conditioned place preference , addiction , psychology , medicine , neuroscience , morphine , pharmacology , calcium , central nervous system , biochemistry , gene
Although L‐type voltage‐dependent Ca 2+ channels regulate activity‐dependent processes including synaptic plasticity and synapse formation, there are few data on the changes of Ca v 1 channel expression in psychological dependence. This study investigated the role of L‐type Ca v 1 channel expression in the brain of mouse that was psychologically dependent on methamphetamine (2 mg/kg, subcutaneous injection [s.c.]), cocaine (10 mg/kg, s.c.), and morphine (5 mg/kg, s.c.) with the conditioned place preference paradigm. Intracerebroventricular administration of nifedipine (3, 10, and 30 nmol/mouse) dose‐dependently reduced the development of methamphetamine‐, cocaine‐, and morphine‐induced rewarding effect. Under such conditions, protein levels of both Ca v 1.2 and Ca v 1.3 in the frontal cortex and the limbic forebrain were significantly increased on methamphetamine‐, cocaine‐, and morphine‐induced psychologically dependent mice. These findings suggest that the upregulation of Ca v 1.2 and Ca v 1.3 participated in the development of psychological dependence. Synapse 64:440–444, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.