Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 5, 2026

A Protocol for Measuring Cue Reactivity in a Rat Model of Cocaine Use Disorder
Published on: June 18, 2018
The tachykinin receptor 3 is associated with alcohol and cocaine dependence
Tatiana Foroud1, Leah Flury Wetherill, John Kramer
1Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana 46202-3002, USA. tforoud@iupui.edu
Background:
A broad region on chromosome 4q was previously linked to the phenotype of alcohol dependence in the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism sample. A strong positional candidate gene was identified within this region: tachykinin receptor 3 gene (TACR3), which encodes tachykinin receptor 3 (NK3R), the receptor for the tachykinin 3 (neurokinin B) peptide. Pharmacological studies have provided evidence that the administration of NK3R agonists attenuates the intake of alcohol and NK3R can also mediate the acute and chronic behavioral effects of cocaine.
Methods:
Thirty SNPs were genotyped throughout TACR3. Family based association analysis was performed in 219 European American families to detect an association with alcohol dependence. Subsequent analyses were performed to evaluate the evidence of association with other definitions of alcohol dependence as well as cocaine dependence.
Results:
Seven of the 9 SNPs in the 3' region of TACR3 provided significant evidence of association with alcohol dependence (p
Conclusions:
These results indicate that sequence variations in TACR3 contribute to the variation in more severe alcohol dependent individuals and those who are also cocaine dependent.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Drug Abuse and Addiction: Pharmacological Phenomena
CNS Depressants: Alcohol and Nicotine
Desensitization and Tachyphylaxis
Several...
CNS Stimulants: Cocaine, Amphetamines and Cannabinoids
Opioid Receptors: Overview
Drug Dependence

