biostudies-literatureUnknown9Gao FDrug-associated reward memory underlies both the development and relapse of addiction, yet its molecular basis remains poorly understood. Here, transcriptomic profiling and functional validation identified a novel long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), Gm44763, as a critical regulator of morphine-induced reward memory specifically in neurons of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Behavioral and molecular analyses demonstrated that Gm44763 functions as a sponge for miR-298-5p, thereby relieving the repression of the downstream target gene, eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (eIF4E), and modulating both the acquisition and retrieval of reward memory. Golgi staining and fiber photometry further revealed that Gm44763 normalized morphine-induced alterations in synaptic structure and neuronal eResearch (Washington, D.C.)1032https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC12779893biostudies-literatureNovel LncRNA Gm44763 Regulates Morphine-Induced Reward Memory via MiR-298-5p-Mediated eIF4E Translation Control.PMC12779893Chen JWang DYu DGao FLi LYang XYang ZYao ZZhang YLiao QHou BYan CWang YZhang BfalseNovel LncRNA Gm44763 Regulates Morphine-Induced Reward Memory via MiR-298-5p-Mediated eIF4E Translation Control.Drug-associated reward memory underlies both the development and relapse of addiction, yet its molecular basis remains poorly understood. Here, transcriptomic profiling and functional validation identified a novel long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), Gm44763, as a critical regulator of morphine-induced reward memory specifically in neurons of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Behavioral and molecular analyses demonstrated that Gm44763 functions as a sponge for miR-298-5p, thereby relieving the repression of the downstream target gene, eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (eIF4E), and modulating both the acquisition and retrieval of reward memory. Golgi staining and fiber photometry further revealed that Gm44763 normalized morphine-induced alterations in synaptic structure and neuronal e2026-01-01T00:00:00Z20262026-07-15T07:48:56.861Z2026-07-01T03:07:43.026ZS-EPMC127798934152260910.34133/research.1032