Drug abuse and the simplest neurotransmitter

Collin J. Kreple, Yuan Lu, Ryan T. LaLumiere, John A. Wemmie

Research output: Contribution to journalShort surveypeer-review

8 Scopus citations

Abstract

Neurotransmitter vesicles are known to concentrate hydrogen ions (or protons), the simplest ion, and to release them during neurotransmission. Furthermore, receptors highly sensitive to protons, acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs), were previously localized on the opposite side of the synaptic cleft on dendritic spines. Now, recent experiments provide some of the strongest support to date that protons function as a neurotransmitter in mice, crossing synapses onto medium spiny neurons of the nucleus accumbens (NAc), activating ASICs, and ultimately suppressing drug abuse-related behaviors.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)746-748
Number of pages3
JournalACS Chemical Neuroscience
Volume5
Issue number9
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 17 2014

Keywords

  • ASIC1A
  • Addiction
  • Cocaine
  • Nucleus accumbens
  • Protons
  • Synaptic transmission

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