Cocaine Regulates MEF2 to Control Synaptic and Behavioral Plasticity

ABSTRACT: Repeated exposure to cocaine causes sensitized behavioral responses and increased dendritic spines on medium spiny neurons of the nucleus accumbens (NAc). We find that cocaine regulates myocyte enhancer factor 2 (MEF2) transcription factors to control these two processes in vivo. Cocaine suppresses striatal MEF2 activity in part through a novel mechanism involving cAMP, the regulator of calmodulin signaling (RCS), and calcineurin. We show that reducing MEF2 activity in the NAc in vivo is required for the cocaine-induced increases in dendritic spine density. Surprisingly, we find that increasing MEF2 activity in the NAc, which blocks the cocaine-induced increase in dendritic spine density, enhances sensitized behavioral responses to cocaine. Together, our findings implicate MEF2 as a key re

ORGANISM(S): Mus musculus

SUBMITTER: Will Renthal 

PROVIDER: E-GEOD-11939 | biostudies-arrayexpress |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-arrayexpress