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Updated: Aug 21, 2026

Investigating Drivers of Antireward in Addiction Behavior with Anatomically Specific Single-Cell Gene Expression Methods
Published on: August 4, 2022
The gene transcription factor cyclic AMP-responsive element binding protein: role in positive and negative affective
1Department of Psychiatry, Anatomy, and Cell Biology, University of Illinois at Chicago, 820 South Damen Avenue (M/C 151), Chicago, IL 60612, United States. scpandey@uic.edu
Abstract:
The gene transcription factor cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)-responsive element binding (CREB) protein is a nuclear protein that regulates synaptic plasticity via modulating the expression of several (cAMP)-inducible genes. Alcohol addiction is a complex psychiatric disorder and is characterized by a compulsive and uncontrolled pattern of alcohol drinking by an individual in spite of the adverse consequences of its abuse. Ethanol produces both euphoric (reward and reinforcing) and dysphoric (negative withdrawal reactions) effects and these are most likely involved in the initiation and maintenance of alcohol use and abuse. Several neurotransmitter systems in the brain might be involved in the effects of alcohol but the exact molecular mechanisms of both the positive and negative affective states of alcohol abuse are still unclear. Recent research in molecular neurosciences using animal models have identified the role of extended amygdaloid (shell structures of nucleus accumbens [NAc] and central and medial amygdaloid nuclei) CREB signaling in positive and negative affective states of alcohol drinking behaviors. This review article highlights the current findings on the role of nucleus accumbal and amygdaloid CREB signaling in behavioral consequences of alcohol use and abuse.
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