We aimed to investigate the associations between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in LIN7C, BDNFOS and BDNF genes and drug addiction in the Han Chinese population.
Reward- and memory-related candidate genes dopamine D2 receptor (DRD2) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), as well as the opioid receptor genes (OPRM1, OPRD1, and OPRK1), have been implicated in drug dependence, but relatively little is known on their contributions to heroin dependence in populations worldwide.
This review describes (1) different 5-HT functioning in the embryonic (as neurotrophin) and adult brain (as a neurotransmitter); (2) BDNF as a modulator of 5-HT system and vice versa; (3) the prolonged positive effect of BDNF on genetically and epigenetically defined central nervous system disorders; (4) The 5-HT-BDNF interplay contribution to aggressive behavior, depression, drug addiction, suicide, and stress response; and (5) the role of common second messengers for 5-HT and BDNF signaling in the 5-HT-BDNF interaction.
Our results suggest that BDNF promoter methylation is associated with drug addiction, although further studies are needed to understand the mechanisms by which BDNF promoter methylation contributes to the pathophysiology of drug addiction.
Overall, our data strongly suggest that the intervention of DA and BDNF, and depletion of antioxidants are important factors during nicotine/CS-induced cerebral cortex pathological changes leading to neurobehavioral impairments, which could underpin the novel therapeutic approaches targeted at tobacco smoking/nicotine's neuropsychological disorders including cognition and drug addiction.
The neurotrophin family is involved in neural plasticity, learning, memory and behavior and deregulated neural plasticity may underlie the pathophysiology of drug addiction.
We aimed to investigate the associations between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in LIN7C, BDNFOS and BDNF genes and drug addiction in the Han Chinese population.
This interesting phenomenon (often called "drug dependency" or "drug addiction") is exemplified in preclinical acquired resistance models of BRAF-mutated melanoma treated with vemurafenib and EGFR-mutated lung cancer treated with EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors.
The main conclusion of this review is that vulnerability to drug addiction suggests an interaction between many brain systems (including the reward, decision-making, serotonergic, oxytocin, interoceptive insula, CRF, norepinephrine, dynorphin/KOR, orexin and vasopressin systems), genetic predisposition, sociocultural context, impulsivity and drugs types.
CART (Cocaine- and Amphetamine-Regulated Transcript) peptide is a neurotransmitter naturally occurring in the CNS and found mostly in nucleus accumbens, ventrotegmental area, ventral pallidum, amygdalae and striatum, brain regions associated with drug addiction.
Cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART) was originally discovered as a peptide that increased in the rat striatum after injection of a psychostimulant drug, such as cocaine or amphetamine, and is suggested to play potential roles in drug dependence.