Title |
Enkephalin as a Pivotal Player in Neuroadaptations Related to Psychostimulant Addiction
|
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Published in |
Frontiers in Psychiatry, May 2018
|
DOI | 10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00222 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Bethania Mongi-Bragato, María P. Avalos, Andrea S. Guzmán, Flavia A. Bollati, Liliana M. Cancela |
Abstract |
Enkephalin expression is high in mesocorticolimbic areas associated with psychostimulant-induced behavioral and neurobiological effects, and may also modulate local neurotransmission in this circuit network. Psychostimulant drugs, like amphetamine and cocaine, significantly increase the content of enkephalin in these brain structures, but we do not yet understand the specific significance of this drug-induced adaptation. In this review, we summarize the neurochemical and molecular mechanism of psychostimulant-induced enkephalin activation in mesocorticolimbic brain areas, and the contribution of this opioid peptide in the pivotal neuroadaptations and long-term behavioral changes underlying psychostimulant addiction. There is evidence suggesting that adaptive changes in enkephalin content in the mesocorticolimbic circuit, induced by acute and chronic psychostimulant administration, may represent a key initial step in the long-term behavioral and neuronal plasticity induced by these drugs. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
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United States | 1 | 33% |
Unknown | 2 | 67% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
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Members of the public | 2 | 67% |
Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 1 | 33% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Unknown | 33 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Ph. D. Student | 7 | 21% |
Student > Doctoral Student | 4 | 12% |
Other | 3 | 9% |
Researcher | 3 | 9% |
Student > Postgraduate | 3 | 9% |
Other | 7 | 21% |
Unknown | 6 | 18% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Neuroscience | 10 | 30% |
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 3 | 9% |
Medicine and Dentistry | 3 | 9% |
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 2 | 6% |
Psychology | 2 | 6% |
Other | 4 | 12% |
Unknown | 9 | 27% |