Université de Fribourg

Selective lentiviral-mediated suppression of microRNA124a in the hippocampus evokes antidepressants-like effects in rats

Bahi, Amine ; Chandrasekar, Vijay ; Dreyer, Jean-Luc

In: Psychoneuroendocrinology, 2014, vol. 46, p. 78–87

Several lines of evidences suggest that the brain-derived neutrophic factor (BDNF) is implicated in the pathophysiology of depression. However, the molecular mechanisms are not fully understood. In the current study we aimed to investigate how genetic modulation of BDNF in the hippocampus using microRNa124a (miR124a)-expressing lentiviral vectors (LV) might affect depression-like behavior in...

Université de Fribourg

Regulation of MiR-124, Let-7d, and MiR-181a in the accumbens affects the expression, extinction, and reinstatement of cocaine-induced conditioned place preference

Chandrasekar, Vijay ; Dreyer, Jean-Luc

In: Neuropsychopharmacology, 2011, vol. 36, p. 1149-1164

Molecular adaptations underlying drug seeking and relapse remain largely unknown. Studies highlight post-transcriptional modifications mediated by microRNAs (miRNAs) in addiction and other neurological disorders. We have previously shown that chronic cocaine suppresses miR-124 and let-7d and induces the expression of miR-181a in mesolimbic pathway. To further address the role and target gene...

Université de Fribourg

The brain-specific neural zinc finger transcription factor 2b (NZF-2b/7ZFMyt1) suppresses cocaine self-administration in rats

Chandrasekar, Vijay ; Dreyer, Jean-Luc

In: Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 2010, vol. 4, no. 14, p. -

Brain-specific neural-zinc-finger transcription factor-2b (NZF2b/7ZFMyt1) is induced in the mesolimbic dopaminergic region after chronic cocaine exposure and lentiviral-mediated expression of NZF2b/7ZFMyt1 in the nucleus accumbens results in decreased locomotor activity (Chandrasekar and Dreyer, 2010). In this study the role of NZF2b/7ZFMyt1 in active cocaine seeking and of its interaction with...

Université de Fribourg

microRNAs miR-124, let-7d and miR-181a regulate cocaine-induced plasticity

Chandrasekar, Vijay ; Dreyer, Jean-Luc

In: Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience, 2009, vol. 42, no. 4, p. 350-362

MicroRNAs play key regulatory roles in cellular processes including neurogenesis, synapse development and plasticity in the brain. Psychostimulants induces strong neuroadaptive changes through a surfeit of gene regulatory mechanisms leading to addiction. MicroRNA profiling for identifying miRNAs regulating cocaine-induced, plasticity-related genes revealed significant regulation of a set of...

Université de Fribourg

The brain-specific Neural Zinc Finger transcription factor 2b (NZF-2b/7ZFMyt1) causes suppression of cocaine-induced locomotor activity

Chandrasekar, Vijay ; Dreyer, Jean-Luc

In: Neurobiology of Disease, 2009, vol. 37, no. 1, p. 86-98

Chronic cocaine induces high expression of the brain-specific Neural-Zinc-Finger transcription factor-2b (NZF-2b/7ZFMyt1), particularly in the mesolimbic dopaminergic pathway, resulting in a 11-fold increase in NZF-2b/7ZFMyt1 expression in the Nucleus Accumbens (NAc). Overexpression of this gene in the NAc with a NZF-2b/7ZFMyt1-expressing lentivirus resulted in >55% decrease in locomotor activity...