Abstract
The interaction of opioids and stimulants is well established; however, the mechanisms that underlie the role that opioid receptors play in psychostimulant action are not. Nociceptin/orphaninFQ (N/OFQ), the endogenous agonist at NOP receptors, attenuates the behavioral effects of cocaine. The effects of cocaine on N/OFQ were examined in rats using immunoautoradiographic and RIA techniques. Chronic administration of cocaine decreased N/OFQ in medial regions of the caudate putamen, the nucleus accumbens shell, and the substantia nigra. These studies show that N/OFQ levels are altered by treatment with cocaine. Furthermore, the changes in N/OFQ parallel those seen for κ-opioid receptors, suggesting that the interactions between cocaine and these systems might be similar.
Original language | English (US) |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 159-164 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Journal of Molecular Neuroscience |
Volume | 31 |
Issue number | 2 |
State | Published - Feb 2007 |
Keywords
- Caudate putamen
- Cocaine
- N/OFQ
- Nucleus accumbens
- Opioid
- Substantia nigra
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Neuroscience(all)
- Biochemistry
- Genetics