Overexpression of miR-9 in the Nucleus Accumbens Increases Oxycodone Self-Administration.

ABSTRACT:

Background

There is an urgent need to identify factors that increase vulnerability to opioid addiction to help stem the opioid epidemic and develop more efficient pharmacotherapeutics. MicroRNAs are small non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression at a posttranscriptional level and have been implicated in chronic drug-taking in humans and in rodent models. Recent evidence has shown that chronic opioid treatment regulates the microRNA miR-9. The present study was designed to test the hypothesis that miR-9 in the nucleus accumbens potentiates oxycodone addictive-like behavior.

Methods

We utilized adeno-associated virus (AAV) to overexpress miR-9 in the nucleus accumbens of male rats and tested the effects on intravenous self-administration of the highly abused prescription

SUBMITTER: Mavrikaki M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6545539 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature