Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 25, 2026

Investigating Drivers of Antireward in Addiction Behavior with Anatomically Specific Single-Cell Gene Expression Methods
Published on: August 4, 2022
The synaptoneurosome transcriptome: a model for profiling the emolecular effects of alcohol
D Most1, L Ferguson1, Y Blednov2
11] Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA [2] The Institute for Neuroscience (INS), University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
Abstract:
Chronic alcohol consumption changes gene expression, likely causing persistent remodeling of synaptic structures via altered translation of mRNAs within synaptic compartments of the cell. We profiled the transcriptome from synaptoneurosomes (SNs) and paired total homogenates (THs) from mouse amygdala following chronic voluntary alcohol consumption. In SN, both the number of alcohol-responsive mRNAs and the magnitude of fold-change were greater than in THs, including many GABA-related mRNAs upregulated in SNs. Furthermore, SN gene co-expression analysis revealed a highly connected network, demonstrating coordinated patterns of gene expression and highlighting alcohol-responsive biological pathways, such as long-term potentiation, long-term depression, glutamate signaling, RNA processing and upregulation of alcohol-responsive genes within neuroimmune modules. Alterations in these pathways have also been observed in the amygdala of human alcoholics. SNs offer an ideal model for detecting intricate networks of coordinated synaptic gene expression and may provide a unique system for investigating therapeutic targets for the treatment of alcoholism.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
CNS Depressants: Alcohol and Nicotine
Mass Spectrometry: Alcohol Fragmentation
Drugs Affecting Neurotransmitter Synthesis
π Electron Effects on Chemical Shift: Overview

