Psychostimulant-like effects of CART neuropeptides

CART 神经肽的类似精神兴奋作用

• 批准号: 6663099
• 负责人: JASON N JAWORSKI
• 金额: $ 4.64万
• 依托单位: EMORY UNIVERSITY
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2002
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2002-10-01 至 2005-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/6663099
• 关键词: Psychostimulant; like; effects; CART; neuropeptides

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Cocaine and amphetamine regulated transcript (CART) peptide is an endogenous peptide which appears to have psychostimulant-like properties and may be involved in the actions of cocaine and other psychostimulants. Understanding the effects of CART peptide is important because it will give insight into the addiction process and will contribute to the goal of developing a pharmacological treatment for cocaine and amphetamine addiction. The purpose of this study is to more fully characterize the behavioral and neurochemical psychostimulant-like actions of CART peptide and its interaction with cocaine. This includes determining 1) if behavioral sensitization or tolerance occurs to repeated CART injections and if cross-sensitization occurs to cocaine; 2) if CART injection into the ventral tegmental area and nucleus accumbens increases extracellular dopamine concentrations in the nucleus accumbens like psychostimulants do; and 3) if CART can modify cocaine self-administration. The researchers hypothesis is that CART will act in a similar manner as cocaine on these measures. By studying the behavioral and neurochemical effects of CART and it's interactions with cocaine, this project will yield a greater understanding of both the acute reinforcing mechanisms of cocaine and long-term changes that occur during chronic cocaine abuse. A greater understanding of the functions of CART may in turn lead to novel treatment strategies for psychostimulant abuse.

描述（由申请人提供）： 可卡因和安非他明调节转录物 (CART) 肽是一种内源性肽，似乎具有类似精神兴奋剂的特性，可能参与可卡因和其他精神兴奋剂的作用。了解 CART 肽的作用非常重要，因为它将深入了解成瘾过程，并有助于实现开发可卡因和安非他明成瘾药物治疗的目标。本研究的目的是更全面地表征 CART 肽的行为和神经化学精神兴奋剂样作用及其与可卡因的相互作用。这包括确定 1) 重复 CART 注射是否出现行为过敏或耐受，以及可卡因是否出现交叉过敏； 2) CART注射到腹侧被盖区和伏隔核是否会像精神兴奋剂一样增加伏隔核中的细胞外多巴胺浓度； 3) CART 是否可以改变可卡因的自我给药。研究人员假设 CART 在这些措施上的作用与可卡因类似。通过研究 CART 的行为和神经化学效应及其与可卡因的相互作用，该项目将更好地了解可卡因的急性强化机制以及慢性可卡因滥用过程中发生的长期变化。对 CART 功能的更深入了解可能反过来会导致精神兴奋剂滥用的新治疗策略。