Heroin Cue-Evoked Astrocytic Structural Plasticity at Nucleus Accumbens Synapses Inhibits Heroin Seeking.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Opioid addiction is a critical medical and societal problem characterized by vulnerability to relapse. Glutamatergic synapses in the nucleus accumbens regulate the motivation to relapse to opioid use, and downregulation of glutamate transporters on astroglial processes adjacent to accumbens synapses contributes to heroin seeking induced by cues. However, it is not known how astroglial processes themselves respond to heroin cues or if changes in astroglial morphology are necessary for heroin seeking.

Methods

Male Sprague Dawley rats (n = 62) were trained to self-administer heroin or sucrose and were reinstated by heroin-conditioned or sucrose-conditioned cues. Astroglial proximity to accumbens synapses was estimated using a confocal-based strategy, and the associat

SUBMITTER: Kruyer A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6823145 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature