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MicroRNAs in addiction: adaptation's middlemen?

Molecular Psychiatry volume 16, pages 1159–1168 (2011)Cite this article

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Abstract

A central question in addiction is how drug-induced changes in synaptic signaling are converted into long-term neuroadaptations. Emerging evidence reveals that microRNAs (miRNAs) have a distinct role in this process through rapid response to cellular signals and dynamic regulation of local mRNA transcripts. Because each miRNA can target hundreds of mRNAs, relative changes in the expression of miRNAs can greatly impact cellular responsiveness, synaptic plasticity and transcriptional events. These diverse consequences of miRNA action occur through coordination with genes implicated in addictions, the most compelling of these being the neurotrophin BDNF, the transcription factor cAMP-responsive element-binding protein (CREB) and the DNA-binding methyl CpG binding protein 2 (MeCP2). In this study, we review the recent progress in the understanding of miRNAs in general mechanisms of plasticity and neuroadaptation and then focus on specific examples of miRNA regulation in the context of addiction. We conclude that miRNA-mediated gene regulation is a conserved means of converting environmental signals into neuronal response, which holds significant implications for addiction and other psychiatric illnesses.

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Acknowledgements

The preparation of this report was in part supported by NIH Grants DA-12844 and DA-13787 to Ming D Li. We thank Dr David L Bronson for his excellent editing of this report.

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  1. Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA

    M D Li & A D van der Vaart

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  1. M D Li
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  2. A D van der Vaart
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Correspondence to M D Li.

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Li, M., van der Vaart, A. MicroRNAs in addiction: adaptation's middlemen?. Mol Psychiatry 16, 1159–1168 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/mp.2011.58

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/mp.2011.58

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