title: Abstinence from cocaine-self-administration activates the nELAV/GAP -43 pathway in the hippocampus: A stress-related effect?
abstract: We previously demonstrated that nELAV/GAP-43 pathway is pivotal for learning and its hippocampal expression is up-regulated by acute stress following repeated cocaine administration. We therefore hypothesized that abstinence-induced stress may sustain nELAV/GAP-43 pathway during early abstinence following 2 weeks of cocaine self-administration. We found that contingent, but not non-contingent, cocaine exposure selectively increases hippocampal nELAV, but not GAP-43, expression immediately after the last self-administration session, an effect that wanes after 24 h and that comes back 7 days later when nELAV activation becomes associated with increased expression of GAP-43, an effect again observed only in animals self-administering the psychostimulant. Such effect is specific for nELAV since the ubiquitous ELAV/HuR is unchanged. This nELAV profile suggests that its initial transient alteration is perhaps related to the daily administration of cocaine, while the increase in the nELAV/GAP-43 pathway following a week of abstinence may reflect the activation of this cascade as a target of stressful conditions associated with drug-related memories. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
authors: Department of Drug Sciences, Section of Pharmacology, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
authors: Alessia
authors: A
authors: Pascale
authors: Department of Drug Sciences, Section of Pharmacology, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
authors: Cecilia
authors: C
authors: Osera
authors: Experimental Psychopharmacology, Department of Neuroscience, IRCCS-Istituto Di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri,", Milan, Italy.
authors: Federico
authors: F
authors: Moro
authors: Experimental Psychopharmacology, Department of Neuroscience, IRCCS-Istituto Di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri,", Milan, Italy.
authors: Angelo
authors: A
authors: Di Clemente
authors: Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari, Università Degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy.
authors: Giuseppe
authors: G
authors: Giannotti
authors: Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari, Università Degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy.
authors: Lucia
authors: L
authors: Caffino
authors: Department of Drug Sciences, Section of Pharmacology, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
authors: Stefano
authors: S
authors: Govoni
authors: Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari, Università Degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy.
authors: Fabio
authors: F
authors: Fumagalli
authors: Experimental Psychopharmacology, Department of Neuroscience, IRCCS-Istituto Di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri,", Milan, Italy.
authors: Luigi
authors: L
authors: Cervo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D003042:Cocaine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D019970:Cocaine-Related Disorders / Q000378:metabolism / Q000523:psychology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D000067780:ELAV-Like Protein 1 / Q000378:metabolism; D019922:GAP-43 Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D012646:Self Administration; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism; D013375:Substance Withdrawal Syndrome / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants; D000067780:ELAV-Like Protein 1; C000593998:Elavl1 protein, rat; D019922:GAP-43 Protein; D003042:Cocaine
keywords: GAP-43; cocaine; hippocampus; nELAV; self-administration