Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Homer isoforms differentially regulate cocaine-induced neuroplasticity.

Karen K Szumlinski1, Kenneth E Abernathy, Erik B Oleson

  • 1Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA. szumlinski@psych.ucsb.edu

Neuropsychopharmacology : Official Publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology
|September 15, 2005
PubMed
Summary

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Spatial mapping of barcoded, brain-tropic AAVs using multiplexed RNA <i>in situ</i> hybridization.

Molecular therapy. Advances·2026
Same author

Inactivation of NMDAR and CaMKII signaling within the prelimbic cortex blocks incubated cocaine- and sucrose-craving.

Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology·2026
Same author

Small Molecule-Controlled Gene Expression: Design of Drug-like High-Affinity Modulators of a Custom-Made Riboswitch.

ACS chemical biology·2026
Same author

The striatal heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein H1 mRNA targetome associated with methamphetamine administration and behavior.

Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry·2025
Same author

Prosapip1 (encoded by the <i>Lzts3</i> gene) in the dorsal hippocampus mediates synaptic protein composition, long-term potentiation, and spatial memory.

eLife·2025
Same author

BDNF in ventrolateral orbitofrontal cortex to dorsolateral striatum circuit moderates alcohol consumption, seeking and relapse.

Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology·2025

Reduced long Homer1 protein in the nucleus accumbens is crucial for cocaine-induced neuroplasticity. Overexpressing these Homer1 isoforms during withdrawal prevents lasting changes in brain glutamate and motor behavior.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Molecular Biology
  • Addiction Research

Background:

  • Homer proteins regulate neuroplasticity at excitatory synapses.
  • Cocaine dynamically alters Homer1 protein expression, with acute use increasing short isoforms and withdrawal decreasing constitutive isoforms in the nucleus accumbens.
  • The role of constitutive Homer1 downregulation in enduring cocaine-induced brain and behavioral changes is unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine if reduced constitutive Homer1 expression in the nucleus accumbens is necessary for lasting cocaine-induced neuroplasticity.
  • To investigate the impact of Homer1 isoform manipulation on cocaine's effects on glutamate transmission and motor behavior during abstinence.

Main Methods:

  • Overexpression of long and short Homer1 isoforms in the rat nucleus accumbens during drug abstinence.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Measurement of adaptations in glutamate transmission and motor behavior following repeated cocaine administration.

    • Main Results:

    • Overexpression of constitutive (long) Homer1 isoforms, but not short isoforms, abolished cocaine-induced locomotor hyperactivity sensitization.
    • Constitutive Homer1 overexpression prevented cocaine-induced abnormalities in nucleus accumbens glutamate, including reduced basal extracellular glutamate and sensitized glutamate response to cocaine.
    • These effects were observed with both chronic and acute overexpression of constitutive Homer1 isoforms.

    Conclusions:

    • The enduring reduction of long Homer1 isoforms in the nucleus accumbens is a necessary factor for the expression of cocaine-induced neuroplasticity.
    • Manipulating Homer1 isoform levels offers a potential therapeutic target for mitigating the long-term effects of cocaine addiction.