E-Book Overview
A cutting-edge collection of updated and core techniques for the neurological study of drugs of abuse. Described in step-by-step detail by hands-on experts, these readily reproducible protocols cover a wide variety of coherent methods for gathering information on quantitative changes in protein and mRNA at both tissue and cellular levels. There are various methods for detecting single and multiple alterations in single and multiple gene expression, for analyzing the functional roles of genes and proteins, for studying the release kinetics of striatal dopamine, and for the quantitative measurement of such neurotransmitters as acetylcholine. Insightful review articles address key current topics on the effect of drugs of abuse on the brain.
E-Book Content
M E T H O D S I N M O L E C U L A R M E D I C I N E TM
Drugs of Abuse Neurological Reviews and Protocols Edited by
John Q. Wang
Humana Press
Gene Expression in Addiction
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1 The Temporal Sequence of Changes in Gene Expression by Drugs of Abuse Peter W. Kalivas, Shigenobu Toda, M. Scott Bowers, David A. Baker, and M. Behnam Ghasemzadeh 1. Introduction Addiction is a complex maladaptive behavior produced by repeated exposure to rewarding stimuli (1). There are two primary features of addiction to all forms of natural and pharmacological stimuli. First, the rewarding stimulus associated with the addiction is a compelling motivator of behavior at the expense of behaviors leading to the acquisition of other rewarding stimuli. Thus, individuals come to orient increasing amounts of their daily activity around acquisition of the rewarding stimulus to which they are addicted. Second, there is a persistence of craving for the addictive stimulus, combined with an inability to regulate the behaviors associated with obtaining that stimulus. Thus, years after the last exposure to an add