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Updated: Sep 30, 2026

A Plate-Based Assay for the Measurement of Endogenous Monoamine Release in Acute Brain Slices
Published on: August 11, 2021
Differential trafficking of the vesicular monoamine transporter-2 by methamphetamine and cocaine
Evan L Riddle1, Matthew K Topham, John W Haycock
1Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Utah, 30 South 2000 East, Rm. 201 84112, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA.
Abstract:
High-dose administration of cocaine or methamphetamine to rats acutely (< or = 24 h) alters vesicular dopamine transport. This study elucidates the nature of these changes. Results reveal a differential redistribution of the vesicular monoamine transporter-2 (VMAT-2) within striatal synaptic terminals after drug treatment. In particular, cocaine shifts VMAT-2 protein from a synaptosomal membrane fraction to a vesicle-enriched fraction, as assessed ex vivo in fractions prepared from treated rats. In contrast, methamphetamine treatment redistributes VMAT-2 from a vesicle-enriched fraction to a location that is not retained in a synaptosomal preparation. These data suggest that psychostimulants acutely and differentially affect VMAT-2 subcellular localization.
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