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The Nitric Oxide Releasing Agent Sodium Nitroprusside Modulates Cocaine‐Induced Immediate Early Gene Expression in Rat Brain
Author(s) -
THIRIET NATHALIE,
AUNIS DOMINIQUE,
ZWILLER JEAN
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
annals of the new york academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.712
H-Index - 248
eISSN - 1749-6632
pISSN - 0077-8923
DOI - 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2002.tb04150.x
Subject(s) - sodium nitroprusside , nucleus accumbens , immediate early gene , forebrain , dopaminergic , chemistry , junb , gene expression , nitric oxide , neuroscience , endocrinology , pharmacology , microbiology and biotechnology , medicine , biology , dopamine , central nervous system , biochemistry , gene
A bstract : The nitric oxide (NO)/cGMP pathway triggers key events in synaptic phenomena involved in learning and memory. Using in situ hybridization, the present report demonstrates that NO released by sodium nitroprusside regulates egr‐1, c‐fos , and junB immediate early gene expression in rat forebrain. These genes, which are rapidly and transiently induced in response to diverse extracellular stimulation, coordinate alterations in gene expression underlying neuronal plasticity. Intracerebroventricular injection of sodium nitroprusside induced immediate early gene expression, which was highest in the nucleus accumbens. On the other hand, sodium nitroprusside abolished the cocaine‐induced early gene expression in the dopaminergic projection fields nucleus accumbens, caudate‐putamen, and frontal cortex. Further studies are warranted to explore the potential of the NO/cGMP/cGMP‐dependent protein kinase pathway to modify cocaine‐related behavioral effects.