Beitner-Johnson D, Nestler E J
Department of Pharmacology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut.
J Neurochem. 1991 Jul;57(1):344-7. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.1991.tb02133.x.
We studied levels of tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity and phosphorylation state in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and nucleus accumbens (NAc) in an effort to understand better the mechanisms by which these brain reward regions are influenced by opiates and cocaine. In the VTA, chronic, but not acute, administration of either morphine or cocaine increased levels of tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity by 30-40%, with no change observed in the relative phosphorylation state of the enzyme. In the NAc, chronic, but not acute, morphine and cocaine treatments decreased the phosphorylation state of tyrosine hydroxylase, without a change in its total amount. In contrast, morphine and cocaine did not regulate tyrosine hydroxylase in the substantia nigra or caudate/putamen, brain regions generally not implicated in drug reward. Morphine and cocaine regulation of tyrosine hydroxylase could represent part of a common biochemical basis of morphine and cocaine addiction and craving.
我们研究了腹侧被盖区（VTA）和伏隔核（NAc）中酪氨酸羟化酶免疫反应性水平和磷酸化状态，以更好地理解这些脑奖赏区域受阿片类药物和可卡因影响的机制。在VTA中，长期（而非急性）给予吗啡或可卡因可使酪氨酸羟化酶免疫反应性水平提高30 - 40%，而该酶的相对磷酸化状态未观察到变化。在NAc中，长期（而非急性）给予吗啡和可卡因治疗可降低酪氨酸羟化酶的磷酸化状态，但其总量不变。相比之下，吗啡和可卡因对黑质或尾状核/壳核中的酪氨酸羟化酶没有调节作用，而这些脑区通常与药物奖赏无关。吗啡和可卡因对酪氨酸羟化酶的调节可能代表了吗啡和可卡因成瘾及渴望的共同生化基础的一部分。
