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Updated: Jul 18, 2026
A General Method for Evaluating Deep Brain Stimulation Effects on Intravenous Methamphetamine Self-Administration
Published on: January 22, 2016
Repeated methamphetamine administration alters expression of the NMDA receptor channel epsilon2 subunit and kinesins
Hideko Yamamoto1, Kazuhide Imai, Etsuko Kamegaya
1Division of Psychobiology, Tokyo Institute of Psychiatry, Tokyo 156-8585, Japan. yamahide@prit.go.jp
Abstract:
Repeated amphetamine administration results in behavioral sensitization. Behavioral sensitization related to abuse and/or relapse may be associated with stable changes in gene expression. To explore the participating genes, we examined the changes in gene expression levels 24 h or 21 days (long-term withdrawal period) after chronic methamphetamine (METH) treatment for 2 weeks. The expression of several genes related to glutamatergic neural transmission was altered, although changes in the corresponding protein expression were not always consistent with the results for mRNA expression. Of interest, in the frontal cortex of mice treated with METH for 2 weeks, protein expression levels of KIF17 and the N-methyl-D-asparate (NMDA) receptor channel epsilon2 subunit (NRepsilon2) were concomitantly increased. The alteration in expression of these proteins, KIF17 and NRepsilon2, might be a part of the molecular basis of the behavioral sensitization to METH.
