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Updated: Jul 18, 2026

A Protocol for Measuring Cue Reactivity in a Rat Model of Cocaine Use Disorder
Published on: June 18, 2018
No association between CART (cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript) gene and methamphetamine dependence
1Department of Neuropsychiatry, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2-5-1 Shikata-cho, Okayama 700-8558, Japan.
The Cocaine- and Amphetamine-Regulated Transcript (CART) gene was not significantly associated with methamphetamine dependence or psychosis in a Japanese population. Genetic variations in CART do not appear to be a major factor in developing these conditions.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Genetics
- Psychiatry
Background:
- The Cocaine- and Amphetamine-Regulated Transcript (CART) peptide is implicated in drug dependence.
- CART levels increase in the brain following psychostimulant drug use.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the genetic association between the CART gene and methamphetamine (METH) dependence and/or psychosis.
- To determine if specific CART gene polymorphisms influence METH dependence or related psychiatric conditions.
Main Methods:
- Case-control study involving 203 METH-dependent patients and 239 healthy controls.
- Genotyping of two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the CART gene: -156A>G and IVS1 + 224G>A.
Main Results:
- No significant differences were found in genotype or allele distributions of the examined CART SNPs between METH-dependent patients and controls.
- No significant associations were observed in subgroups based on clinical phenotypes, including age of first METH use, psychosis onset latency, or multisubstance abuse.
Conclusions:
- The CART gene may not play a pivotal role in the development of METH dependence and psychosis.
- These findings suggest limited genetic contribution of the CART gene to METH-related disorders in the studied Japanese population.
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