 |
|
A Molecular Basis for Cocaine Abuse: PLoS Biology Press Release
November 16, 2004This Is Your Fly's Brain on Drugs
Cocaine addiction wreaks profound changes on the brain, hijacking reward circuits and depressing inhibitory loops to the point that drug seeking and taking become central drivers of behavior. While mammalian models are useful for mapping out the neural complexity of these behaviors, insights into the molecular basis of drug abuse can often be garnered from simple models, such as the fruitfly, Drosophila. In the open-access journal PLoS Biology, Ulrike Heberlein and colleagues describe their discovery of a new gene that modulates sensitivity to cocaine within the cells of the fruitfly's internal clock. They further show that the cells' role in regulating cocaine sensitivity is distinct from its function as a timekeeper.
One known effect of cocaine on Drosophila is loss of "negative geotaxis," or wall climbing, in response to startle. Using this behavior to screen 400 different mutants, the researchers identified seven with an increased response to cocaine, and for two of these, the disrupted gene was the same, Lmo.
While Lmo is found throughout the body, it is enriched in the brain, and its cocaine-related effects appear to localize in the ventral lateral neurons (LNvs), which provide the fly with an internal clock, driving circadian activities even in the absence of light. However, it appears that these neurons modulate cocaine sensitivity independently of their role in controlling circadian rhythms.
Because Lmo-related proteins are found in key areas of mammalian brains, these results may have important implications for understanding innate differences in sensitivity to cocaine in humans, and potentially provide targets for development of drugs to treat or prevent addiction.
Citation: Tsai L, Bainton R, Blau J, Heberlein U (2004) Lmo Mutants Reveal a Novel Role for Circadian Pacemaker Neurons in Cocaine-Induced Behaviors. PLoS Biol 2 (12): e408.
The published article will be accessible to your readers at: http://www.plosbiology.org/plosonline/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pbio.0020408
Press-only preview of the article: http://www.plos.org/downloads/plbi-02-12-heberlein.pdf
CONTACT:
Ulrike Heberlein
University of California, San Francisco
1550 4th Street, Room 445
San Francisco, CA 94143-2822
+1-415-502-1717
ulrike@itsa.ucsf.edu
********************************************
What women want makes a difference
Males will court just about anything, but females mate preferentially with their own species. This, at least, is true for two species of the fruitfly Drosophila (D.pseudoobscura and D. persimilis) that occur in the same environment along the western United States and can interbreed where they meet. In the open-access journal PLoS Biology, Daniel Ortiz-Barrientos and his colleagues present the first high-resolution analysis of "species reinforcement genes" that account for heightened discrimination by females in populations faced with a choice, compared with their isolated peers.
The researchers identify two new loci that influence the likelihood that a female will choose to mate with a male of her own species, rather than one of a closely related species. Because the daughters of discriminating D. pseudoobscura females were just as discriminating as their mothers, they concluded that female mating discrimination is inherited as a dominant trait. They further show that genes responsible for female preference are on the X and fourth chromosomes. The most promising genes in both regions appear to be involved with olfaction and on this basis, the authors propose a novel model of speciation via mating discrimination in Drosophila pseudoobscura based on the combined response to auditory and olfactory cues.
These findings mark a major turning point in the study of speciation as they provide vital clues to the final stages of the speciation process. Ortiz-Barrientos and colleagues are now poised to identify and study the evolution of the actual genes contributing to the creation of new species.
Citation: Ortiz-Barrientos D, Counterman B, Noor M (2004) The Genetics of Speciation by Reinforcement. PLoS Biol 2 (12): e416.
The published article will be accessible to your readers at: http://www.plosbiology.org/plosonline/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pbio.0020416
Press-only preview of the article: http://www.plos.org/downloads/plbi-02-12-ortiz-barrientos.pdf
Related image for press use: http://www.plos.org/downloads/plbi-02-12-ortiz-barrientos.jpg
Caption for image: Drosophila courtship. (Photo authors: Ortiz-Barrientos, et al)
CONTACT:
Daniel Ortiz-Barrientos
Louisiana State University
107 Life Sciences Bldg
Baton Rouge, LA USA 70803
+1-225-578-7081
+1-225-578-2597 (fax)
dortiz1@lsu.edu
********************************************
Are Animals As Irrational As Humans?
Animals in the wild are constantly confronted with decisions where to nest, who to mate, where the best forage is. Mainstream models of choice in both economics and biology predict that preferences will be rational, or consistent across contexts, as a result of being motivated by self interest or, in the case of animals, reproductive success. Yet many studies report that when making decisions people often take shortcuts, using cognitive heuristics that may lead to economically irrational decisions, with similar claims now showing up in animal behavior studies.
In a new study, Cynthia Schuck-Paim, Lorena Pompilio, and Alex Kacelnik question whether irrational decisions have been correctly demonstrated in animals. The authors suggest that observed "breaches of rationality" may stem from differences in the physiological state of animals "unwittingly imposed" by experimental design rather than from real irrational decisions.
To test this, the researchers trained European starlings to choose between two rich food sources (called focal options) and one of two poorer "decoys" in different contexts. Schuck-Paim and collaborators show that introducing the decoys resulted in an "irrational" preference only when the decoys were allowed to have an effect on food intake, suggesting that the choice resulted from the birds' energetic state rather than from cognitive mechanisms of choice similar to those used to explain irrationality in human subjects.
Altogether, Schuck-Paim and co-authors argue, these results warn that studies appropriating ideas from other disciplines can introduce confounding effects. Researchers would do well to carefully examine the underlying causes of observed animal behaviors when testing ideas formulated in a nonbiological framework.
Citation: Schuck-Paim C, Pompilio L, Kacelnik A (2004) State-Dependent Decisions Cause Apparent Violations of Rationality in Animal Choice. PLoS Biol 2 (12): e402.
The published article will be accessible to your readers at: http://www.plosbiology.org/plosonline/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pbio.0020402
Press-only preview of the article: http://www.plos.org/downloads/plbi-02-12-kacelnik.pdf
Related image for press use: http://www.plos.org/downloads/plbi-02-12-kacelnik.jpg
Caption for image: The European starling, more rational than it seems. (Photo author: Cynthia Schuck Paim)
CONTACT:
Alex Kacelnik
University of Oxford
South Parks Road
Oxford, UK OX13PS
+44-1865-271-164
+44-1865-271-120 (fax)
alex.kacelnik@zoo.ox.ac.uk
********************************************
THE FOLLOWING RESEARCH ARTICLES WILL ALSO BE PUBLISHED ONLINE:
A Chemoattractant Role for NT-3 in Proprioceptive Axon Guidance
In vivo and in vitro experiments suggest a role for NT-3 in guiding axons from the spinal cord to their muscle targets.
Citation: Gen'� B, Ã-zdinler H, Mendoza A, Erzurumlu R (2004) A Chemoattractant Role for NT-3 in Proprioceptive Axon Guidance. PLoS Biol 2 (12): e403.
The published article will be accessible to your readers at: http://www.plosbiology.org/plosonline/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pbio.0020403
Press-only preview of the article: http://www.plos.org/downloads/plbi-02-12-erzurumlu.pdf
CONTACT:
Reha Erzurumlu
Louisiana State University
1901 Perdido Street
New Orleans, LA USA 70112
+1-504-568-4016
+1-504-568-4392 (fax)
rerzur@lsuhsc.edu
********************************************
Adaptive Amplification and Point Mutation Are Independent Mechanisms: Evidence for Various Stress-Inducible Mutation Mechanisms
Cells can respond to stress by apparently increasing their mutation rate. This study provides evidence that there is more than one pathway by which cells achieve such a response.
Citation: Hastings P, Slack A, Petrosino J, Rosenberg S, (2004) Adaptive Amplification and Point Mutation Are Independent Mechanisms: Evidence for Various Stress-Inducible Mutation Mechanisms. PLoS Biol 2 (12): e399.
The published article will be accessible to your readers at: http://www.plosbiology.org/plosonline/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pbio.0020399
Press-only preview of the article: http://www.plos.org/downloads/plbi-02-12-hastings.pdf
CONTACT:
Philip Hastings
Baylor College of Medicine
One Baylor Plaza
Houston, TX USA 77030-3411
+1-713-798-5787
+1-713-798-8704 (fax)
hastings@bcm.tmc.edu
********************************************
Distinct Genomic Integration of MLV and SIV Vectors in Primate Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells
A primate model of gene transfer into hematopoietic stem cells demonstrated MLV integration around transcription start sites whereas SIV integrated into gene-dense regions, indicating distinct safety implications for each.
Citation: Hematti P, Hong B, Ferguson C, Adler R, Hanawa H, et al (2004) Distinct Genomic Integration of MLV and SIV Vectors in Primate Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells. PLoS Biol 2 (12): e423.
The published article will be accessible to your readers at: http://www.plosbiology.org/plosonline/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pbio.0020423
Press-only preview of the article: http://www.plos.org/downloads/plbi-02-12-dunbar.pdf
CONTACT:
Cynthia Dunbar
National Institutes of Health
9000 Rockville Pike
Bethesda, MD USA 20892
+1-301-496-1434
+1-301-496-8396 (fax)
dunbarc@nhlbi.nih.gov
********************************************
DNA Methylation Profiling of the Human Major Histocompatibility Complex: A Pilot Study for the Human Epigenome Project
DNA is frequently modified by methylation, which can effect its function. The Human Epigenome Project aims to identify, catalog, and interpret DNA methylation throughout the genome.
Citation: Vardhman R, Hildmann T, Novik K, Lewin J, Tost J, et al (2004) DNA Methylation Profiling of the Human Major Histocompatibility Complex: A Pilot Study for the Human Epigenome Project. PLoS Biol 2 (12): e405.
The published article will be accessible to your readers at: http://www.plosbiology.org/plosonline/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pbio.0020405
Press-only preview of the article: http://www.plos.org/downloads/plbi-02-12-beck.pdf
CONTACT:
Stephan Beck
Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute
Cambridge, UK CB10 1SA
+44-1223-494-952
+44-1223-494-919 (fax)
beck@sanger.ac.uk
PLEASE MENTION PLoS BIOLOGY (www.plosbiology.org) AS THE SOURCE FOR THESE ARTICLES. THANK YOU.
All works published in PLoS Biology are open access. Everything is immediately available without cost to anyone, anywhere--to read, download, redistribute, include in databases, and otherwise use--subject only to the condition that the original authorship is properly attributed. Copyright is retained by the authors. The Public Library of Science uses the Creative Commons Attribution License.
Public Library Of Science
All works published in PLoS Biology are open access. Everything is immediately available without cost to anyone, anywhere--to read, download, redistribute, include in databases, and otherwise use--subject only to the condition that the original authorship is properly attributed. Copyright is retained by the authors. The Public Library of Science uses the Creative Commons Attribution License.
Public Library Of Science
Cocaine Current Events and Cocaine News RSSSinging to females makes male birds' brains happy
The melodious singing of birds has been long appreciated by humans, and has often been thought to reflect a particularly positive emotional state of the singer.
Adolescent insomnia linked to depression and substance abuse during adolescence and young adulthood
A study in the Oct. 1 issue of the journal Sleep shows that adolescent insomnia symptoms are associated with depression, suicide ideation and attempts, and the use of alcohol, cannabis and other drugs such as cocaine.
Caffeine experts at Johns Hopkins call for warning labels for energy drinks
Johns Hopkins scientists who have spent decades researching the effects of caffeine report that a slew of caffeinated energy drinks now on the market should carry prominent labels that note caffeine doses and warn of potential health risks for consumers.
College freshmen: pain killers and stimulants less risky than cocaine; more risky than marijuana
First year college students believe that occasional nonmedical use of prescription pain killers and stimulants is less risky than cocaine, but more risky than marijuana or consuming five or more alcoholic beverages every weekend.
New evidence on addiction to medicines Diazepam has effect on nerve cells in the brain reward system
Addictions to medicines and drugs are thought to develop over a relatively long period of time. The process involves both structural and functional changes in brain nerve cells that are still poorly understood.
Cocaine: How addiction develops
Permanent drug seeking and relapse after renewed drug administration are typical behavioral patterns of addiction. Molecular changes at the connection points in the brain's reward center are directly responsible for this.
Addiction treatment proves successful in animal weight loss study
Vigabatrin, a medication proposed as a potential treatment for drug addiction by scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory, also leads to rapid weight loss and reduced food intake according to a new animal study from the same research group.
Cocaine-induced synaptic plasticity linked to persistent addictive behaviors
The persistent nature of addiction is its most devastating feature. Understanding the mechanism underlying this phenomenon is the key for designing efficient therapy. Two separate studies published by Cell Press is the August 14 issue of the journal Neuron identify specific cocaine-induced changes in dopamine (DA) neurons that play a pivotal role in behaviors associated with drug addiction.
Halting retrieval of drug-associated memories may prevent addiction relapse
Disrupting the brain's retrieval of drug-associated memories may prevent relapse in drug addiction, according to new research in the August 13 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience.
'Erasing' drug-associated memories may stop drug addiction relapses
'Erasing' drug-associated memories may prevent recovering drug abusers from relapsing, researchers at the University of Cambridge have discovered.
More Cocaine Current Events and Cocaine News Articles
 | Cocaine: An Unauthorized Biography by Dominic Streatfeild The story of cocaine isn’t just about crime and profit; it’s about psychoanalysis, about empire building, about exploitation, emancipation, and, ultimately, about power. To tell the story of the twentieth century without reference to this drug and its contribution is to miss a vital and fascinating strand of social history. Streatfeild examines the story of cocaine from its first medical uses... |
 | The Cocaine Kids: The Inside Story Of A Teenage Drug Ring by Terry Williams Since 1982, sociologist Terry Williams has spent days, weeks, and months “hanging out” with a teenage cocaine ring in cocaine bars, after-hours clubs, on street corners, in crack houses and in their homes. The picture he creates in The Cocaine Kids is the story behind the headlines. The lives of these young dealers in the fast lane of the underground economy emerge in depth and color on the... |
| Kings of Cocaine Inside the Medellin Cartel an Astonishing True Story of Murder Money and International Corruption by Guy Gugliotta, Jeff Leen | |
 | Cocaine Nights by J. G. Ballard J. G. Ballard once again reveals his visionary mastery in this warped tale of the unexpected The setting for Cocaine Nights is the Costa del Sol and the stylish resort of Estrella de Mar. Into the queasy beauty of this artificial environment steps Charles Prentice, a travel writer from London who has come to visit his brother Frank, manager of the resort's Club Nautico. Frank is in jail,... |
 | From Silver to Cocaine: Latin American Commodity Chains and the Building of the World Economy, 1500-2000 (American Encounters/Global Interactions) Demonstrating that globalization is a centuries-old phenomenon, From Silver to Cocaine examines the commodity chains that have connected producers in Latin America with consumers around the world for five hundred years. In clear, accessible essays, historians from Latin America, England, and the United States trace the paths of many of Latin America’s most important exports: coffee, bananas,... |
 | Cocaine Addiction: Treatment, Recovery, and Relapse Prevention by Arnold Washton A detailed guide to clinical assessment and treatment of cocaine addiction, this is a concise book that emphasizes on outpatient treatment and relapse prevention... |
 | Doctor Dealer: The Rise and Fall of an All-American Boy and His Multimillion-Dollar Cocaine Empire by Mark Bowden Doctor Dealer is the story of Larry Lavin, a bright, charismatic young man who rose from his working-class upbringing to win a scholarship to a prestigious boarding school, earn Ivy League college and dental degrees, and buy his family a house in one of Philadelphia's most exclusive suburbs. But behind the facade of his success was a dark secret -- at every step of the way he was building the... |
 | The Andean Cocaine Industry by Patrick Clawson, Rensselaer W. Lee It is commonly known that the Andean nations of Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia are the international centers of cocaine production. But until now, there has been no comprehensive view of this billion dollar industry. Using never-before unearthed information culled from their extensive field research, Patrick Clawson and Rensselaer Lee reveal the configuration of the drug industry, from the original... |
 | My Cocaine Museum by Michael Taussig In this book, a make-believe cocaine museum becomes a vantage point from which to assess the lives of Afro-Colombian gold miners drawn into the dangerous world of cocaine production in the rain forest of Colombia's Pacific Coast. Although modeled on the famous Gold Museum in Colombia's central bank, the Banco de la República, Taussig's museum is also a parody aimed at the museum's failure to... |
 | BLOW: How a Small-Town Boy Made $100 Million with the Medellin Cocaine Cartel and Lost It All by Bruce Porter BLOW is the unlikely story of George Jung's roller coaster ride from middle-class high school football hero to the heart of Pable Escobar's Medellin cartel-- the largest importer of the United States cocaine supply in the 1980s. Jung's early business of flying marijuana into the United States from the mountains of Mexico took a dramatic turn when he met Carlos Lehder, a young Colombian car thief... |
| © 2008 BrightSurf.com |