Cristal M. Torres Rodríguez
Undergraduate Student
Faculty of Natural Sciences
Dept. of Biology
University of Puerto Rico
Río Piedras Campus
Home Research
Mentor: Jennifer Barreto, PhD
Project: The effect of ANA-12, a TrkB antagonist, on DBS-induced extinction of morphine place preference
Project Description: Addiction is defined as a chronic, relapsing disorder characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, despite the negative consequences that the individual will have in the future. Although the neural circuits of addiction are not yet fully understood, researchers have been developing solutions for possible treatments. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) in the ventral striatum/nucleus accumbens (VS/NAc) has demonstrated that it can be useful to decrease symptoms of addiction in treatment-refractory patients. Using preclinical models of addiction, we have previously shown that low-frequency DBS (20 Hz) aimed to the VS/NAc, during extinction training, strengthened the extinction memory by reducing morphine place preference. Also, the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) increases in the hippocampus of DBS-treated animals. Therefore, in this study, we will determine if Ana-12, a TrkB receptor antagonist, will affect morphine place preference in animals that received DBS. Additionally, we will be analyzing BDNF expression in the hippocampus of Ana-12-treated animals.
Summer Research
Mentor: Pending
Project: Pending
Project Description: Pending