Université de Fribourg

Lentiviral-mediated up-regulation of let-7d microRNA decreases alcohol intake through down-regulating the dopamine D3 receptor

Bahi, Amine ; Dreyer, Jean-Luc

In: European Neuropsychopharmacology, 2020, vol. 37, p. 70–81

Recent studies have shown that Lethal-7 (let-7) microRNA (miRNA) is involved in a wide range of psychiatric disorders such as anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, and cocaine addiction. However, the exact role of let-7d miRNA in regulating ethanol intake and preference remains to be elucidated. The aim of the present study was to clarify the role of accumbal let-7d in controlling...

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

Effects of urokinase-type plasminogen activator in the acquisition, expression and reinstatement of cocaine-induced conditioned-place preference

Bahi, Amine ; Kusnecov, Alexander W. ; Dreyer, Jean-Luc

In: Behavioural Brain Research, 2008, vol. 191, no. 1, p. 17-25

Cocaine and many other psychostimulants strongly induce urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) expression in the mesolimbic dopaminergic pathway, which plays a major role in drug-mediated behavioral plasticity [Bahi A, Boyer F, Gumy C, Kafri T, Dreyer JL. In vivo gene delivery of urokinase-type plasminogen activator with regulatable lentivirus induces behavioral changes in chronic cocaine...

Université de Fribourg

In vivo gene delivery of urokinase-type plasminogen activator with regulatable lentivirus induces behavioural changes in chronic cocaine administration

Bahi, Amine ; Boyer, Frederic ; Gumy, Christèle ; Kafri, Tal ; Dreyer, Jean-Luc

In: European Journal of Neuroscience, 2004, vol. 20(12), p. 3473

Serine proteases play a key function in extracellular processes affecting central nervous system plasticity. Recently, the role of extracellular proteolytic processes in regulating synaptic structure and function has been described. However, to date direct evidence linking extracellular serine protease activity with drug-related behavioural changes has not been documented. Importantly, in a...

Université de Fribourg

Cocaine-induced expression changes of axon guidance molecules in the adult rat brain

Bahi, Amine ; Dreyer, Jean-Luc

In: Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience, 2005, vol. 28(2), p. 275-291

Administration of drugs of abuse induces strong molecular adaptations and plasticity within the mesolimbic dopamine (DA) system, a pathway essential for reward-seeking behavior. Little is known about the specific targets involved in this neuroadaptation process, but there are indications that cocaine and other drugs of abuse share the ability to alter the morphology of neuronal dendrites and...

Université de Fribourg

CD81-induced behavioural changes during chronic cocaine administration: in vivo gene delivery with regulatable lentivirus

Bahi, Amine ; Boyer, Frederic ; Kafri, Tal ; Dreyer, Jean-Luc

In: European Journal of Neuroscience, 2004, vol. 19, p. 1621-1633

CD81, a tetraspanin transmembrane protein involved in cell adhesion, is up-regulated in the mesolimbic dopaminergic pathway 24 h following acute administration of high doses of cocaine [Brenz-Verca et al., (2001) Mol. Cell. Neurosci., 17, 303-316]. Further evidence consecutive with this observation and based on microarray analysis are presented here. In addition, a regulatable lentivirus was...