Researchers have identified a new molecular mechanism that alters the brain's reward circuits after an individual has consumed cocaine.
Detailed in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, the discovery could provide a potential drug target for anti-addiction medications.
When administering chronic cocaine to lab mice, the research team from Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai saw increased levels of an enzyme called PARP-1, which led to an increase in its RAR marks at genes in the nucleus accumbens. These epigenetic changes altered the activity of the nucleus accumbens, ultimately contributing to long-term addiction to cocaine.
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