Erika Carlson is the Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (JPET) Highlighted Trainee Author for May 2023. Erika was recognized for her contributions to the article titled “Heroin- and Fentanyl-Induced Respiratory Depression in a Rat Plethysmography Model: Potency, Tolerance, and Sex Differences,” which was published in the May 2023 issue of JPET. Erika co-authored this article… [Read More]
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Technology Development Initiative – Paper of the Month – May 2023
Customizable, wireless and implantable neural probe design and fabrication via 3D printing. Nature Protocols.
Detailed in this protocol are custom manufacturing techniques for rapidly 3D-printing large number of optogenetic probes of any length and number of shanks. Also included are instructions for low-cost, custom, wireless harnesses to couple with probes for offsite optical manipulation. [Read More]
Persistent binding at dopamine transporters determines sustained psychostimulant effects
Featured Paper of the Month – May 2023
Published in PNAS with contributions from Carl Lupica, Alexander Hoffman, and Michael Baumann of the NIDA IRP.
Here we demonstrate that various DAT inhibitors can be distinguished based on their in vitro binding kinetics, whereby the dissociation rate (i.e., Koff) of a drug from DAT in vitro predicts the duration of its stimulant effects in vivo.
Targeting orexin receptors: Recent advances in the development of subtype selective or dual ligands for the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders
Reviews To Read – April 2023. Published in Medical Research Reviews with contributions from Alessandro Bonifazi and Lily Saab of the NIDA IRP Medicinal Chemistry Section. This review, written in collaboration between authors from the Medicinal Chemistry Section (NIDA-IRP) and the Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacology Units at the University of Camerino (Italy), is focused on the development of… [Read More]
Technology Development Initiative – Paper of the Month – April 2023
Insights into distinct signaling profiles of the µOR activated by diverse agonists. Nat Chem Biology.
The TRUPATH BRET2 assay is a single and comprehensive platform of 14 G protein biosensors that allows for unambiguous measurement of heterotrimeric G protein dissociation following agonist-induced receptor stimulation. Because individual G protein subunits have distinct functional characteristics, directly monitoring their activation and signaling profiles provides new opportunities for revealing previously uncharacterized actions of GPCR ligands. [Read More]
The SARS-CoV-2 spike protein binds and modulates estrogen receptors
Featured Paper of the Month – April 2023
Published in Science Advances by Oscar Solís and Michael Michaelides et al. from the NIDA IRP Biobehavioral Imaging and Molecular Neuropsychopharmacology Unit.
In our study, we investigated the potential impact of the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus on estrogen receptors. To do so, we used computational and biochemical methods to study the binding of the spike protein to human estrogen receptors…
The role of the lateral orbitofrontal cortex in creating cognitive maps
Hot Off the Press – March 28, 2023 Published in Nature Neuroscience by Kauê Machado Costa and Geoffrey Schoenbaum of the NIDA IRP Behavioral Neurophysiology Neuroscience Section. Summary We use mental models of the world – also called cognitive maps – to guide behavior. Several mental illnesses, including schizophrenia and substance use disorder, involve disruptions… [Read More]
Effect of Selective Lesions of Nucleus Accumbens µ-Opioid Receptor-Expressing Cells on Heroin Self-Administration in Male and Female Rats: A Study with Novel Oprm1-Cre Knock-in Rats
Hot Off the Press – March 16, 2023 Summary The brain µ-opioid receptor (MOR) is critical for the analgesic, rewarding, and addictive effects of opioid drugs. However, in rat models of opioid-related behaviors, the circuit mechanisms of MOR-expressing cells are less known because of a lack of genetic tools to selectively manipulate them. We introduce… [Read More]
Technology Development Initiative – Paper of the Month – March 2023
Single-Cell Chromatin Modification Profiling Reveals Increased Epigenetic Variations with Aging. Cell.
A group of researchers from Stanford University employed a multiplexed mass cytometry to profile the epigenetic landscape and measure a broad array of global chromatin modifications in human cells at the single-cell level. The EpiTOF technology provides new opportunities for identifying cell-specific epigenetic changes associated with altered physiological and pathological states. [Read More]
Compulsive drug-taking is associated with habenula-frontal cortex connectivity
Featured Paper of the Month – March 2023
Published in PNAS by Ying Duan, Pei-Jung Tsai and Yihong Yang, et al. from the NIDA IRP Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Spectroscopy Section.
Compulsive drug use, as the defining feature of substance use disorder, is attributed to disadvantageous decision-making and has been associated with dysfunction of frontal-midbrain systems. The habenula is a relay node between forebrain and midbrain regions and processes negative feedback in response to aversive events. To understand the contributions of frontal-habenula-midbrain circuits in the development of drug dependence, we employed a rat model of methamphetamine self-administration in the presence of concomitant footshock, which has been proposed to model compulsive drug-taking in humans…
