Cocaine and the Changing Brain
CART: A Novel Addiction Peptide
Michael J. Kuhar, Ph.D.
Emory University
Atlanta, GA
CART (cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated
transcription factors) peptides are novel
putative neurotransmitters/cotransmitters.
They have psychostimulant-like effects in that
they alter locomotor activity and feeding
behaviors. CART peptides are localized to
regions in the brain that are associated with
these behaviors, as well as other regions
suggesting involvement in a variety of
physiologic functions.
Acknowledgment
This research was supported by National
Institute on Drug Abuse Grant No. DA-10732.
Selected References
Couceyro, P.R.; Koylu, E.O.; and
Kuhar, M.J. Further studies on
the anatomical distribution of
CART by in situ hybridization.
J Chem Neuroanat
12:229-241, 1997.
Douglass, J.; McKinzie, A.A.; and
Couceyro, P. PCR differential
display identifies a rat brain
mRNA that is transcriptionally
regulated by cocaine and
amphetamine. J Neurosci
15:2471-2481, 1995.
Koylu, E.O.; Couceyro, P.R.; Lambert,
P.D.; Ling, N.C.; DeSouza, E.B.;
and Kuhar, M.J.
Immunohistochemical
localization of novel CART
peptides in rat hypothalamus,
pituitary and adrenal gland. J
Neuroendocrinol 9:823- 833,
1997.
Lambert, P.D.; Couceyro, P.R.; Koylu,
E.O.; Ling, N.C.; DeSouza,
E.B.; and Kuhar, M.J. CART
peptides have a physiological
role in the central control of
food intake (Abstract).
Abstracts of the 27th Annual
Meeting of the Society for
Neuroscience, New Orleans,
LA, Oct 25-30, 1997. p. 966.
Smith, Y.; Koylu, E.O.; Couceyro, P.;
and Kuhar, M.J. Ultrastructural
localization of CART (cocaine-
and amphetamine-regulated
transcript) peptides in the
nucleus accumbens of
monkeys. Synapse 27:90-94,
1997.
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