Article
Neurosciences
Angela E. Barattini, Christian Montanari, Kimberly N. Edwards, Scott Edwards, Nicholas W. Gilpin, Amanda R. Pahng
Summary: The current opioid epidemic is a national health crisis with increasing reports of opioid misuse and overdose deaths. Prescription opioids are the most powerful and effective medications for pain treatment, but their risk of misuse needs to be investigated in adults with chronic pain. This study found that chronic inflammatory pain did not affect fentanyl intake or motivation for drug seeking, but it increased the rewarding properties of low-dose fentanyl in males. Both sexes showed increased motivation for fentanyl as the dose decreased. These findings suggest that established fentanyl self-administration is resistant to change by inflammatory pain, but chronic inflammatory pain may increase the risk of fentanyl misuse in males.
Article
Psychology, Biological
Michael M. Morgan, Tammy N. Hilgendorf, Ram Kandasamy
Summary: This study investigated the effects of fentanyl on hindpaw inflammation, administration, and withdrawal in rats. The results showed that the effects of fentanyl on activity levels varied depending on the dose and pain condition, and withdrawal from fentanyl resulted in opioid withdrawal symptoms.
PHYSIOLOGY & BEHAVIOR
(2023)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Stephanie R. Vaughan, Ashley C. Fulton, Lauryn E. DeGreeff
Summary: The availability of fentanyl is at a record high with 3138 kg of fentanyl and related substances being seized in 2019. Due to its high toxicity, a lethal dose for most is mere milligrams. To aid in developing a non-contact detection method for fentanyl, target analytes in the vapor profile of fentanyl need to be identified. The identification of N-Phenylpropanamide (NPPA) or N-phenethyl-4-piperidone (NPP) as target analytes in 75% of the samples is crucial for this development.
ANALYTICAL AND BIOANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Soumyaditya Ghosh, Kaitlyn N. Lewis, Richa Tulsian, Artem A. Astafev, Rochelle Buffenstein, Roman Kondratov
Summary: The strictly subterranean naked mole-rat has retained its circadian clock in a light-free environment, with different patterns of molecular circadian oscillator and gene expression rhythms compared to mice. Additionally, differences in glucose metabolism and mTOR signaling between the two species suggest a unique synchronization of gene expression in naked mole-rats.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Kathrin Jobski, Carsten Bantel, Falk Hoffmann
Summary: This study analyzed spontaneous reports of fentanyl-associated abuse, dependence, and withdrawal in European countries. It found that fentanyl is mainly used for non-cancer pain indications and often in transdermal formulations. Patients with musculoskeletal disorders had a higher prevalence of depression and prolonged hospitalizations.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Michael M. Morgan, Kristin Ataras
Summary: The study explores the effects of pain, morphine analgesia, and opioid withdrawal on well-being using home cage wheel running in mice. Results show that morphine treatment for pain does not prevent opioid withdrawal, and support the use of wheel running as a method to assess changes in well-being.
PHARMACOLOGY BIOCHEMISTRY AND BEHAVIOR
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Diana Tavares-Ferreira, Pradipta R. Ray, Ishwarya Sankaranarayanan, Galo L. Mejia, Andi Wangzhou, Stephanie Shiers, Ruta Uttarkar, Salim Megat, Paulino Barragan-Iglesias, Gregory Dussor, Armen N. Akopian, Theodore J. Price
Summary: The study identified sex differences in the transcriptome and translatome of mouse DRG, particularly focusing on genes related to prostaglandins and nociception. These findings provide insights into the mechanistic basis of sex differences in pain processing.
BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY
(2022)
Article
Psychiatry
Aram Parsegian, M. Julia Garcia-Fuster, Elaine Hebda-Bauer, Stanley. J. J. Watson, Shelly. B. B. Flagel, Huda Akil
Summary: Adolescent drug use affects addiction liability in adulthood, with variations depending on genetic background and cocaine exposure. This study explores the role of genetic rat models and epigenetic chromatin modifications in behavioral profiles and cocaine sensitization.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHIATRY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Mehdi Khelfa, Mathieu Leclerc, Stephane Kerbrat, Yakout Nait Sidenas Boudjemai, Medine Benchouaia, Deborah Neyrinck-Leglantier, Leonie Cagnet, Lylia Berradhia, Marie Tamagne, Laure Croisille, France Pirenne, Sebastien Maury, Benoit Vingert
Summary: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) requires multiple platelet transfusions, which can trigger an immune response against platelets. This study analyzed the immune activation profiles of AML patients with or without anti-HLA alloimmunization and found differences in the phenotype and function of CD4+ T lymphocytes. These findings have implications for understanding immune responses in AML patients.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Substance Abuse
Amanda Morgan, Danielle Adank, Keenan Johnson, Emily Butler, Sachin Patel
Summary: Hyperalgesia during alcohol withdrawal is a major barrier to abstinence and relapse prevention. This study found that 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) signaling plays a critical role in regulating mechanical sensitivity during alcohol withdrawal. Increasing 2-AG levels can reduce sensitivity, while inhibiting 2-AG signaling exacerbates hypersensitivity.
ALCOHOLISM-CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Yocasta Alvarez-Bagnarol, Renata C. N. Marchette, Chase Francis, Marisela Morales, Leandro F. Vendruscolo
Summary: This study found that hyperalgesia and somatic withdrawal symptoms in opioid withdrawal are associated with c-Fos expression in different brain regions. The lateral hypothalamus, central nucleus of the amygdala, ventral tegmental area, parabrachial nucleus, dorsal raphe, and locus coeruleus were associated with hyperalgesia, while the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus, lateral habenula, dorsal raphe, and locus coeruleus were associated with somatic withdrawal. The expression of c-Fos in the dorsal raphe and locus coeruleus was associated with both hyperalgesia and somatic withdrawal.
Article
Physiology
Suzanne E. Neumueller, Nicole Buiter, Grace Hilbert, Kirstyn Grams, Reiauna Taylor, John Desalvo, Grace L. Hodges, Madeline M. Hodges, Lawrence G. Pan, Stephen J. Lewis, Hubert V. Forster, Matthew R. Hodges
Summary: This study investigates the physiological and behavioral changes induced by sub-lethal doses of fentanyl in large mammals. The results show that fentanyl can decrease breathing frequency and increase tidal volume, total ventilation, and blood pressure. It also leads to hypocapnia, hypoxemia, and impaired gas exchange in the lung. Furthermore, fentanyl increases withdrawal-like behaviors, including locomotor activity, biting, itching, and pawing.
FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Sabrina de Carvalho Cartagenes, Cinthia Cristina Sousa de Menezes da Silveira, Bruno Goncalves Pinheiro, Luanna Melo Pereira Fernandes, Sarah Viana Farias, Natalia Harumi Correa Kobayashi, Pablo Henrique Franco Santos de Souza, Alejandro Ferraz do Prado, Maria Karolina Martins Ferreira, Rafael Rodrigues Lima, Edivaldo Herculano Correa de Oliveira, Francisco Caninde Ferreira de Luna, Rommel Mario Rodriguez Burbano, Eneas Andrade Fontes-Junior, Cristiane do Socorro Ferraz Maia
Summary: Recreational use of ketamine among adolescents may result in negative emotional and behavioral outcomes, accompanied by oxidative stress in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus.
Article
Substance Abuse
Jiali Shao, Yanxia Fei, Ji Xiao, Lijuan Wang, Shuangfa Zou, Jinfeng Yang
Summary: This study suggests that miR-144-3p/Oprk1/KOR may be a potential pathway underlying the adverse effects induced by nicotine dependence and withdrawal, providing a novel therapeutic target for smoking cessation.
NICOTINE & TOBACCO RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ling Zhang, Donghai Zheng, Kun Zhang, Hao Chen, Yingchun Ge, Xin Li
Summary: This study examines the trends and drivers of irrigation-water withdrawal (IWW) and consumption (IWC) in mainland China. The results show that IWW has decreased while IWC has increased from 1999 to 2013, mainly due to changes in water-withdrawal intensity and irrigated area expansion. Factors such as irrigation efficiency and climatic conditions play a significant role in explaining the variance in water-use intensity.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jason B. Alipio, Adam T. Brockett, Megan E. Fox, Stephen S. Tennyson, Coreylyn A. deBettencourt, Dina El-Metwally, Nikolas A. Francis, Patrick O. Kanold, Mary Kay Lobo, Matthew R. Roesch, Asaf Keller
Summary: This study found that perinatal exposure to fentanyl in mice resulted in withdrawal behavior and behavioral abnormalities in early adulthood, similar to humans born with NOWS. These effects were seen in terms of changes in behavior and physiology that normalized as the mice reached adulthood.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Michel Engeln, Yang Song, Ramesh Chandra, Ashley La, Megan E. Fox, Brianna Evans, Makeda D. Turner, Shavin Thomas, T. Chase Francis, Ronna Hertzano, Mary Kay Lobo
Summary: The study suggests that motor stereotypies in early-onset neuropsychiatric diseases may be associated with dysregulated basal ganglia direct-pathway activity, with neurobiological mechanisms leading to direct-pathway neuron disconnectivity in stereotypy remaining poorly understood. The research uncovers phenotype-specific molecular alterations in D1-MSNs associated with morphological adaptations in mice displaying stereotypy behavior.
MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Michel Engeln, Megan E. Fox, Mary Kay Lobo
Summary: Stress exposure has a lasting impact on motivated behavior and drug reward, often shaping drug-related behaviors bidirectionally. Social housing conditions can influence cocaine-related behaviors after psychosocial stress, with pair-housed mice showing increased social avoidance after CSDS and decreased cocaine intake. Single-housed mice, on the other hand, exhibit stress-sensitive cocaine intake and increased social avoidance after CSDS.
PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Yvan M. Vachez, Jessica R. Tooley, Kavitha Abiraman, Bridget Matikainen-Ankney, Eric Casey, Tom Earnest, Leana M. Ramos, Hanna Silberberg, Elizabeth Godynyuk, Olivia Uddin, Lauren Marconi, Claire E. Le Pichon, Meaghan C. Creed
Summary: The nucleus accumbens shell (NAcSh) and the ventral pallidum (VP) are important for reward processing, with a subpopulation of VP neurons, the ventral arkypallidal (vArky) neurons, inhibiting NAcSh neurons and promoting reward consumption in a value-dependent manner.
NATURE NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Editorial Material
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Chirag Vasavda, Olivia Uddin, Michael S. Lee
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL INVESTIGATION
(2021)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Daniela Franco, Andreas B. Wulff, Mary Kay Lobo, Megan E. Fox
Summary: Chronic stress may increase the risk of developing substance use disorders in vulnerable individuals. This study found that the consumption of fentanyl, a substance commonly used for pain management, was influenced by chronic psychosocial stress in mice, with sex and behavioral outcomes to stress playing a significant role.
FRONTIERS IN BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Infectious Diseases
O. Uddin, J. Hurst, T. Alkayali, S. A. Schmalzle
Summary: This case highlights the importance of recognizing coagulase negative Staphylococci as a possible etiology of cellulitis in patients with prosthetic material and considering anti-inflammatory medications as a supplement to antibiotic therapy to hasten resolution of cellulitis in appropriate patients.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Eileen Nguyen, Kelly M. Smith, Nathan Cramer, Ruby A. Holland, Isabel H. Bleimeister, Krystal Flores-Felix, Hanna Silberberg, Asaf Keller, Claire E. Le Pichon, Sarah E. Ross
Summary: By using molecular, tracing, and behavioural approaches, Nguyen et al. discovered that neurons containing the kappa-opioid receptor in the rostral ventromedial medulla can robustly modulate itch and pain behaviours bidirectionally, shedding light on a distinct population of neurons that inhibit itch and nociception.
Article
Psychiatry
Marco Pagliusi, Daniela Franco, Shannon Cole, Gessynger Morais-Silva, Ramesh Chandra, Megan E. Fox, Sergio D. Iniguez, Cesar R. Sartori, Mary Kay Lobo
Summary: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plays a critical role in stress response, exerting different plasticity effects through its receptors (TrkB and TrkB.t1). The study found that BDNF has an anti-stress effect in the hippocampus and a stress-susceptible effect in the nucleus accumbens (NAc). Furthermore, overexpression of TrkB.t1 in specific projection neurons (D2-MSNs) in the NAc can prevent stress-induced social avoidance behavior.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHIATRY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Michel Engeln, Megan E. Fox, Ramesh Chandra, Eric Y. Choi, Hyungwoo Nam, Houman Qadir, Shavin S. Thomas, Victoria M. Rhodes, Makeda D. Turner, Rae J. Herman, Cali A. Calarco, Mary Kay Lobo
Summary: The study identified the transcriptional mechanisms occurring in the VP following drug exposure and the important role of Nr4a1 in cocaine-related behaviors. Overexpression of Nr4a1 enhanced drug-seeking and drug-induced reinstatement, while Nr4a1 knockdown prevented self-administration acquisition and subsequent cocaine-mediated behaviors, highlighting the crucial role of the VP -> MDT circuit in drug intake and relapse-like behaviors.
MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Megan E. Fox, Andreas B. Wulff, Daniela Franco, Eric Y. Choi, Cali A. Calarco, Michel Engeln, Makeda D. Turner, Ramesh Chandra, Victoria M. Rhodes, Scott M. Thompson, Seth A. Ament, Mary Kay Lobo
Summary: Opioid discontinuation leads to withdrawal symptoms and increased negative affect. The neural mechanisms underlying these symptoms, especially in relation to synthetic opioids, are not fully understood.
BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Gessynger Morais-Silva, Rianne R. Campbell, Hyungwoo Nam, Mahashweta Basu, Marco Pagliusi, Megan E. Fox, C. Savio Chan, Sergio D. Iniguez, Seth Ament, Nathan Cramer, Marcelo Tadeu Marin, Mary Kay Lobo
Summary: The altered activity of the ventral pallidum (VP) is responsible for disrupted motivation in stress and drug exposure. To investigate the role of Neuronal PAS 1-positive (Npas1+) VP neurons, we analyzed their projection targets and conducted RNA sequencing on VP Npas1+ neurons to understand their molecular identities. Chemogenetic activation of VP Npas1+ neurons modulated susceptibility to social stressors and anxiety-like behavior. Our findings reveal the circuitry, molecular identity, and stress response role of VP Npas1+ neurons.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Jimmy Olusakin, Gautam Kumar, Mahashweta Basu, Cali A. Calarco, Megan E. Fox, Jason B. Alipio, Catherine Haga, Makeda D. Turner, Asaf Keller, Seth A. Ament, Mary Kay Lobo
Summary: The use of fentanyl has significantly increased in the past decade, including among women of reproductive ages. Perinatal exposure to opioids, such as fentanyl, has been associated with adverse neonatal outcomes and long-term behavioral disruptions. This study investigated the molecular adaptations in various brain regions of perinatal fentanyl exposed mice, revealing distinct transcriptomes and differential gene expression between sexes.
NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Amine Bahi
Summary: Gestational environmental enrichment (EE) has protective effects on social stress-induced anxiety-like behaviors and excessive ethanol consumption through increasing BDNF levels.
PHARMACOLOGY BIOCHEMISTRY AND BEHAVIOR
(2024)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Sarabesh Natarajan, Grant Abass, Lucas Kim, Corinne Wells, Amir H. Rezvani, Edward D. Levin
Summary: Multiple neural systems, including dopamine D1 receptors and glutamate NMDA receptors, are involved in nicotine reinforcement. Acute blockade of D1 receptors decreases nicotine self-administration, while acute blockade of NMDA receptors increases it. Chronic blockade of NMDA receptors decreases nicotine self-administration. Memantine attenuates the decrease in nicotine self-administration caused by chronic D1 antagonist SCH-23390.
PHARMACOLOGY BIOCHEMISTRY AND BEHAVIOR
(2024)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
David R. Maguire
Summary: The study found that Lorcaserin alone reduces ventilation and enhances the ventilatory-depressant effects of opioids. This suggests that combining a 5-HT2C receptor agonist with opioids may increase the risk of ventilatory depression without reducing abuse.
PHARMACOLOGY BIOCHEMISTRY AND BEHAVIOR
(2024)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Fen Liu, Qing Tian, Hui-Ling Tang, Xiang Cheng, Wei Zou, Ping Zhang
Summary: This study demonstrates the attenuating effect of H2S on PD-associated depression by improving hippocampal synaptic plasticity.
PHARMACOLOGY BIOCHEMISTRY AND BEHAVIOR
(2024)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Mehrsa Rahimi-Danesh, Mohammad-Ali Samizadeh, Amir-Ehsan Sajadi, Tara Rezvankhah, Salar Vaseghi
Summary: This study investigated the effects of lithium on freezing behavior and pain perception in a fear-conditioning model in rats. The results showed that lithium had no effect on freezing behavior and pain subthreshold in all rats. Extinction training decreased freezing behavior, with more efficacy in females. Gender differences were also observed in the effects of extinction training.
PHARMACOLOGY BIOCHEMISTRY AND BEHAVIOR
(2024)