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Original Research ARTICLE

Inhibition of cAMP responsive element binding protein in striatal neurons enhances approach and avoidance responses toward morphine- and morphine withdrawal-related cues

Carles Sanchis-Segura¹*, Dragana Jancic², Maria Jimenez-Minchan² and Angel Barco²*

Area de Psicobiología, Universitat Jaume I de Castello, Castello, Spain

Instituto de Neurociencias de Alicante, Universidad Miguel Hernández-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Alicante, Spain

To investigate the role of cAMP responsive element binding protein (CREB)-dependent gene expression in morphine induced behaviors, we examined bitransgenic mice expressing a dominant and strong inhibitor of the CREB family of transcription factors, A-CREB, in striatal neurons in a regulatable manner. The expression of A-CREB in the striatum enhanced both morphine-induced conditioned place preference and morphine withdrawal-induced conditioned place avoidance. Our experiments thereby support a role for CREB in striatal neurons regulating approach and avoidance responses toward drug-related cues.

Keywords:

CREB, morphine, addiction, place preference, striatum

Citation:

Sanchis-Segura C, Jancic D, Jimenez-Minchan M and Barco A (2009). Inhibition of cAMP responsive element binding protein in striatal neurons enhances approach and avoidance responses toward morphine- and morphine withdrawal-related cues. Front. Behav. Neurosci. 3:30. doi: 10.3389/neuro.08.030.2009

Received:

05 May 2009;

Paper pending published:

17 June 2009;

Accepted:

24 August 2009;

Published online:

08 September 2009.

Edited by:

Serge Laroche, CNRS and Université Paris Sud, France

Reviewed by:

Bruno Bontempi, CNRS and Université de Bordeaux, France
Martine Ammassari-Teule, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Italy

© 2009 Sanchis-Segura, Jancic, Jimenez-Minchan and Barco. This is an open-access article subject to an exclusive license agreement between the authors and the Frontiers Research Foundation, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original authors and source are credited.

*Correspondence:

Angel Barco, Instituto de Neurociencias de Alicante, UMH-CSIC, Campus de Sant Joan, Apt. 18, Sant Joan d’Alacant 03550, Alicante, Spain. e-mail: abarco@umh.es; Carles Sanchis-Segura, Area de Psicobiologia, Universitat Jaume I de Castello, 12071 Castello, Spain. e-mail: csanchis@psb.uji.es