title: Dopamine receptor hetero-oligomerization: a hypothesis for behavioral sensitization to psychostimulants.
abstract: Repeated psychostimulant pretreatment can induce behavioral sensitization. Many previous studies have demonstrated that receptors of the dopamine and other neurotransmitter systems are involved in the sensitization process, however, the precise mechanism of this interaction is still unknown. We propose the hypothesis that oligomerization of the dopamine receptors and analogs from other neurotransmitter systems may contribute, at least in part, to psychostimulant-induced behavioral sensitization. Psychostimulant exposure can enhance central dopamine release, which can increase oligomerization of the dopamine receptors with their analogs. Receptor oligomerization can enhance the functional properties of the receptors and affect receptor degradation, which may be related to the behavioral augmentation which characterizes the sensitized state and produces the persistence of behavioral sensitization. The proposed receptor hetero-oligomerization model may provide a new direction in the exploration of the functionally critical sensitization phenomenon.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Veterans General Hospital-Taipei, Taiwan, ROC. sjtsai@vghtpe.gov.tw
authors.forename: Shih-Jen
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.forename: Chen-Jee
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Hong
mesh_terms: D000662:Amphetamines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D001245:Association Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D001519:Behavior; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins; D006801:Humans; D011954:Receptors, Dopamine / Q000737:chemistry*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: D000662:Amphetamines; D011954:Receptors, Dopamine; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins