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

GDNF and addiction.

Dorit Ron1, Patricia H Janak

  • 1Ernest Gallo Research Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, Emeryville, USA. dorit@itsa.ucsf.edu

Reviews in the Neurosciences
|March 8, 2006
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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

The Central Nucleus of the Amygdala Encodes the Motivation to Pursue Ethanol.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

Sequence termination cues drive automated habit-like strategy via dopamine-mediated processes.

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

Memory erasure by dopamine-gated retrospective learning.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

Fentanyl reinforcement history has sex-specific effects on multi-step decision-making.

Neuropharmacology·2026
Same author

Uncertainty and reward histories have distinct effects on decisions after wins and losses.

Scientific reports·2026
Same author

Transcriptional response to chronic long-access fentanyl self-administration in rat habenula and amygdala.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2025
Same journal

Role of Toll-like receptors and oral-gut-brain axis in neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders.

Reviews in the neurosciences·2026
Same journal

The potential mechanisms of exercise-regulated mechanically sensitive ion channels in promoting spinal cord injury repair: a hypothesis-driven narrative review.

Reviews in the neurosciences·2026
Same journal

Behavioral, neural and neurochemical basis of effort-related decision making.

Reviews in the neurosciences·2026
Same journal

Growth differentiation factor 11 (GDF11) signaling in neural stem cell regulation: molecular and cellular insights.

Reviews in the neurosciences·2026
Same journal

Abnormal protein glycosylation in epileptogenesis: evidence from experimental models and clinical insights.

Reviews in the neurosciences·2026
Same journal

Aperiodic EEG features of cognition: a systematic review.

Reviews in the neurosciences·2026
See all related articles

Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) signaling pathway activation may reverse addiction-related brain changes. GDNF may be a key therapeutic target for treating drug and alcohol addiction.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Molecular Biology
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Chronic exposure to drugs of abuse and alcohol induces profound biochemical adaptations in midbrain dopaminergic neurons.
  • These adaptations involve long-lasting molecular and structural changes in mesolimbic dopaminergic neurons, contributing to compulsive drug seeking and relapse behaviors.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the role of Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) signaling in regulating the behavioral effects of drugs of abuse and alcohol.
  • To explore the potential of GDNF pathway activation as a therapeutic strategy for addiction.

Main Methods:

  • Review of recent scientific literature and studies.
  • Analysis of data implicating GDNF in the neurobiological adaptations associated with addiction.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Examination of the effects of GDNF pathway inhibition and activation on drug and alcohol behaviors.

    • Main Results:

    • Activation of the GDNF signaling pathway appears to prevent or reverse molecular and structural changes in dopaminergic neurons caused by chronic substance exposure.
    • Endogenous GDNF negatively regulates the behavioral effects of drugs of abuse and alcohol; its inhibition enhances drug activity, while administration reduces severity.
    • GDNF plays a critical role in modulating the neurobiological underpinnings of addiction.

    Conclusions:

    • GDNF is implicated as a negative regulator of drug and alcohol addiction.
    • Therapies aimed at activating the GDNF signaling pathway show promise for the treatment of substance use disorders.