Does oxdative stress reaction in nucleus accumbes exacerbate cocaine addiction after social defeat stress?

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K01837
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Basic / Social brain science
• Research Institution: Kurume University
• Principal Investigator: OHNISHI YOSHINORI 久留米大学, 医学部, 助教 (10626865)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 河原 幸江 久留米大学, 医学部, 准教授 (10279135) ; 西 昭徳 久留米大学, 医学部, 教授 (50228144) ; 大西 陽子 久留米大学, 医学部, 助教 (70727586)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 依存症 / コカイン / うつ病 / 転写因子 / 行動実験 / マウス / 酸化ストレス / 側坐核

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Generally, mental stress enhances irresistible impulse to addictive craving. However, the molecular mechanism is not fully understood. We reproduced this behavior in a mouse model, in which pre-exposure of mice to social defeat stress (SDS) increased cocaine preference. Motivation for preference is well known to be controlled by dopamine neurotransmission in reward system network from the ventral tegmental area to nucleus accumbens (NAc). We therefore performed microdialysis to detect dopamine levels in the NAc. Dopamine levels in the NAc increased when mice were placed in cocaine-conditioned box, and the increase in dopamine levels was significantly enhanced after SDS. As dopamine is known to be an inducer of oxidative stress, we revealed the effect of antioxidant-rich-foods or anti-oxidative reagent against cocaine preference, and the downstream molecular pathway.

Free Research Field

精神神経科学