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Updated: Aug 14, 2026
05:55
Stable Isotope In-Vivo Labeling for Mass-Spectrometry Identification of Paternal Metabolites Transferred from Sperm to Oocyte During Fertilization
Published on: June 17, 2025
Paternal epigenetic inheritance increases susceptibility to methamphetamine taking
Sarah E Swinford-Jackson1,2, BaDoi N Phan3,4,5, Azadeh Jadali6
1Rutgers Addiction Research Center at the Brain Health Institute and Department of Psychiatry, Rutgers Health, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA.
Summary
Paternal exposure to methamphetamine in sires alters offspring
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Genetics
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Paternal drug exposure can impact offspring behavior.
- Previous studies showed male offspring of cocaine-experienced sires resisted cocaine.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if paternal methamphetamine (meth) exposure affects offspring's response to meth.
- To identify molecular mechanisms underlying these behavioral changes.
Main Methods:
- Male rats self-administered meth, cocaine, or saline for 60 days before mating.
- Offspring behaviors (meth self-administration, memory, anxiety) were assessed.
- Single nuclei RNA- and ATAC-sequencing analyzed the nucleus accumbens.
Main Results:
- Meth-sired male offspring showed increased meth susceptibility, unlike cocaine-sired offspring's resistance.
- No sex differences in offspring response to paternal meth exposure were observed.
- Unique gene expression and chromatin accessibility profiles were identified in offspring nucleus accumbens.
Conclusions:
- Paternal meth exposure induces distinct behavioral and molecular changes in male offspring.
- These findings highlight potential therapeutic targets for psychostimulant use disorders.
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