title: αCaMKII controls the establishment of cocaine's reinforcing effects in mice and humans.
abstract: Although addiction develops in a considerable number of regular cocaine users, molecular risk factors for cocaine dependence are still unknown. It was proposed that establishing drug use and memory formation might share molecular and anatomical pathways. Alpha-Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase-II (αCaMKII) is a key mediator of learning and memory also involved in drug-related plasticity. The autophosphorylation of αCaMKII was shown to accelerate learning. Thus, we investigated the role of αCaMKII autophosphorylation in the time course of establishing cocaine use-related behavior in mice. We found that αCaMKII autophosphorylation-deficient αCaMKII(T286A) mice show delayed establishment of conditioned place preference, but no changes in acute behavioral activation, sensitization or conditioned hyperlocomotion to cocaine (20 mg kg(-1), intraperitoneal). In vivo microdialysis revealed that αCaMKII(T286A) mice have blunted dopamine (DA) and blocked serotonin (5-HT) responses in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) and prefrontal cortex after acute cocaine administration (20 mg kg(-1), intraperitoneal), whereas noradrenaline responses were preserved. Under cocaine, the attenuated DA and 5-HT activation in αCaMKII(T286A) mice was followed by impaired c-Fos activation in the NAcc. To translate the rodent findings to human conditions, several CAMK2A gene polymorphisms were tested regarding their risk for a fast establishment of cocaine dependence in two independent samples of regular cocaine users from Brazil (n=688) and Switzerland (n=141). A meta-analysis across both samples confirmed that CAMK2A rs3776823 TT-allele carriers display a faster transition to severe cocaine use than C-allele carriers. Together, these data suggest that αCaMKII controls the speed for the establishment of cocaine's reinforcing effects.
authors.affiliation: MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Research Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Easton
authors.affiliation: 1] MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Research Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, UK [2] Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lourdusamy
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Havranek
authors.affiliation: Centre for the Cellular Basis of Behavior, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mizuno
authors.affiliation: 1] Department of Child and Adolescent Mental Health, University Clinic Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany [2] Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Karaj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Karaj, Iran.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Solati
authors.affiliation: Department of Child and Adolescent Mental Health, University Clinic Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Golub
authors.affiliation: Translational Research Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
authors.forename: T-K
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Clarke
authors.affiliation: Department and Institute of Psychiatry, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Vallada
authors.affiliation: UNIAD, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Laranjeira
authors.affiliation: MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Research Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Desrivières
authors.affiliation: Department of Child and Adolescent Mental Health, University Clinic Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: G H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Moll
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mössner
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kornhuber
authors.affiliation: MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Research Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schumann
authors.affiliation: Centre for the Cellular Basis of Behavior, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: K P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Giese
authors.affiliation: MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Research Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fernandes
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: B B
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Quednow
authors.affiliation: 1] MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Research Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, UK [2] Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: C P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Müller
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D016739:Behavior, Addictive / Q000235:genetics*; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D054732:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase Type 2 / Q000235:genetics*; D003042:Cocaine / Q000235:genetics*; D019970:Cocaine-Related Disorders / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D012054:Reinforcement, Psychology
chemical_list: D054732:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase Type 2; D003042:Cocaine