Dentate gyrus μ-opioid receptor-mediated neurogenic processes are associated with alterations in morphine self-administration.

ABSTRACT: Adult hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG) neural stem cells (NSCs) continuously undergo proliferation and differentiation, producing new functional neurons that remodel existing synaptic circuits. Although proliferation of these adult DG NSCs has been implicated in opiate dependence, whether NSC neuronal differentiation and subsequent dendritogenesis are also involved in such addictive behavior remains unknown. Here, we ask whether opiate exposure alters differentiation and dendritogenesis of DG NSCs and investigate the possibility that these alterations contribute to opiate addiction. We show that rat morphine self-administration (MSA), a paradigm that effectively mimics human opiate addiction, increases NSC neuronal differentiation and promotes neuronal dendrite growth in the adult DG. Furthe

SUBMITTER: Zhang H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6365505 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature