BDNF rescues BAF53b-dependent synaptic plasticity and cocaine-associated memory in the nucleus accumbens

• DOI: 10.1038/ncomms11725
• Publication Date: 2016-05-26T09:48:14Z
• Authors: André O. White; Enikö A. Kramár; Alberto J. López; Janine L. Kwapis; John Doan; David Saldana; M. Felicia Davato...; Yasaman Alaghband; Mathew Blurton-Jones; Dina P. Matheos; Marcelo A. Wood
• Keywords: Male; 0301 basic medicine; Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone; 1.1 Normal biological development and functioning; Knockout; Science; Biological Psychology; Long-Term Potentiation; 610; Mice, Transgenic; Basic Behavioral and Social Science; Transgenic; Article; Nucleus Accumbens; Cell Line; Substance Misuse; Mice; Cocaine-Related Disorders; 03 medical and health sciences; Cocaine; Behavioral and Social Science; Genetics; Psychology; 2.1 Biological and endogenous factors; Animals; Receptor, trkB; Mice, Knockout; Memory Disorders; Biomedical and Clinical Sciences; Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; Q; Neurosciences; Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences; Non-Histone; Brain Disorders; Chromosomal Proteins; Neurological; trkB; Female; Drug Abuse (NIDA only); Receptor

Abstract Recent evidence implicates epigenetic mechanisms in drug-associated memory processes. However, a possible role for one major mechanism, nucleosome remodelling, memories remains largely unexplored. Here we examine mice with genetic manipulations targeting neuron-specific remodelling complex subunit, BAF53b. These display deficits cocaine-associated that are more severe BAF53b transgenic compared heterozygous mice. Similar to the deficits, theta-induced long-term potentiation (theta-LTP) nucleus accumbens (NAc) is significantly impaired slices taken from but not Further experiments indicate theta-LTP NAc dependent on TrkB receptor activation, and BDNF rescues Together, these results suggest neuronal function required memories, also BDNF/TrkB activation may overcome plasticity linked mutations.