Astrocytic HIV-1 Nef Expression Decreases Glutamate Transporter Expression in the Nucleus Accumbens and Increases Cocaine-Seeking Behavior in Rats.

ABSTRACT:

Background/objectives

Cocaine use disorder is an intersecting issue in populations with HIV-1, further exacerbating the clinical course of the disease and contributing to neurotoxicity and neuroinflammation. Cocaine and HIV neurotoxins play roles in neuronal damage during neuroHIV progression by disrupting glutamate homeostasis in the brain. Even with combined antiretroviral therapy (cART), HIV-1 Nef, an early viral protein expressed in approximately 1% of infected astrocytes, remains a key neurotoxin. This study investigates the relationship among Nef, glutamate homeostasis, and cocaine in the nucleus accumbens (NAc), a critical brain region associated with drug motivation and reward.

Methods

Male and female Sprague Dawley rats were used to compare the effects of astrocytic

SUBMITTER: Pla-Tenorio J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11769493 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature