Eric J. Nestler

Protracted abstinence from heroin, but not cocaine, is associated with profound medial prefrontal cortex synaptic bioenergetic remodeling and lasting neural hypofunction

The paper identifies synaptic bioenergetic remodeling in the mPFC after heroin abstinence, but not cocaine, and links it to relapse vulnerability.

Acute opioid responses are modulated by dynamic interactions of Oprm1 and Fgf12

This study identifies time-dependent epistatic interactions between Oprm1 and Fgf12 that modulate opioid-induced locomotion in mice and links Fgf12 to opioid behavior in humans.

Astrocytic D1 Dopamine-Signaling Regulates Synaptic Remodeling and Cocaine Seeking

This study shows that astrocytic D1 dopamine receptors in the nucleus accumbens shell regulate synaptic remodeling and cocaine seeking behavior in mice.

Transcriptional Profiles of Antidepressant Resistance Across the Corticolimbic Pathway of Chronically Stressed Mice

This study identifies transcriptional differences in mice with antidepressant resistance using RNA sequencing of brain regions after stress and drug treatment.

A shared transcriptional network in the nucleus accumbens supports resilience to chronic stress across sex.

The paper identifies a shared transcriptional network in the nucleus accumbens that supports stress resilience in both sexes and shows causal effects of hub genes.

Cortical astrocytes control stress resilience

The paper identifies a role for prefrontal cortex astrocytes in stress resilience using mouse models and RNA-sequencing, showing distinct transcriptional responses between resilient and susceptible mice.

Discovery of Small Molecules and a Druggable Groove That Regulate DNA Binding and Release of the AP1 Transcription Factor DeltaFOSB

The paper identifies a druggable groove on DeltaFOSB that allows small molecules to modulate its DNA binding and release, with one compound reducing genomic occupancy by 60% in vivo.

Sex-Specific Induction of H3K27me1 in the Prefrontal Cortex Mediates the Enduring Effects of Early Life Stress

This study shows that early life stress causes sex-specific H3K27me1 accumulation in the prefrontal cortex, leading to long-term behavioral and cognitive effects in mice.

Epigenetic editing of Cartpt promotes acquisition and extinction of cocaine memory

The paper uses CRISPR-based epigenetic editing to manipulate Cartpt expression in mice, showing it affects cocaine memory acquisition and extinction.

{triangleup}FOSB in the nucleus accumbens core is required for increased anxiety, but not decreased social motivation, following estrogen withdrawal in female mice

This study shows that increased {Delta}FOSB in the nucleus accumbens core during estrogen withdrawal in female mice is necessary for heightened anxiety but not reduced social motivation.

Efficient in vivo pharmacological inhibition of deltaFOSB, an AP1 transcription factor, in brain

This paper demonstrates the creation of YL0441, a highly effective inhibitor of DeltaFOSB that reduces genomic DNA binding sites by ~94% in APP mice.

Oxidation of ΔFOSB at Cys172 Controls Hippocampal Gene Targets and Learning

This study shows that oxidation of ΔFOSB at Cys172 regulates its DNA binding and gene expression in the hippocampus, affecting cognitive function under oxidative stress.

Change-of-mind neuroeconomic decision-making is modulated by LINC00473 in medial prefrontal cortex in a sex-dependent manner

This study shows LINC00473 in mPFC modulates sex-dependent change-of-mind behavior in mice by affecting value caching and mistake weighting in a neuroeconomic task.

Astrocytic CREB regulates transcriptional, neuronal, and behavioral responses to cocaine

The paper investigates cocaine-induced astrocyte-specific transcriptome in mice, identifies CREB as a key regulator, and shows its role in modulating neuronal and behavioral responses to cocaine.

Dopaminoceptive D1 and D2 neurons in ventral hippocampus arbitrate approach and avoidance in anxiety

This study identifies D1 and D2 dopamine receptor-expressing neurons in the mouse ventral hippocampus and shows they mediate opposing approach/avoidance behaviors during anxiety-related tasks.

Chronic High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) exercise in adolescent rat's result in cocaine place aversion and ΔFosB induction

This study shows that adolescent HIIT in rats reduces cocaine place preference and increases striatum ΔFosB, suggesting potential protective effects against cocaine abuse.

A meta-analysis of the effects of early life stress on the prefrontal cortex transcriptome suggests long-term effects on myelin

This paper performs a meta-analysis of gene expression data from five datasets to identify long-term effects of early life stress on the prefrontal cortex, finding consistent downregulation of myelin-related genes and upregulation of genes related to Major Depressive Disorder.

Temporal Dynamics of Nucleus Accumbens Neurons in Male Mice During Reward Seeking

The paper identifies three temporally sequenced clusters of NAc neuron activity in mice during reward seeking and shows that D1 and D2 neuron activity at specific times predicts and influences lever-pressing behavior.

Decoding the transcriptomic signatures of psychological trauma in human cortex and amygdala

The paper investigates transcriptional signatures of trauma in human brain regions using RNA-seq data from 304 donors, identifying differential vulnerability of cortical and amygdala regions to different trauma types.

Cell-Type-Specific Epigenetic Priming of Gene Expression in Nucleus Accumbens by Cocaine

This study identifies a novel epigenetic mechanism by which chronic cocaine exposure alters gene expression in nucleus accumbens neurons through H2A.Z depletion and chromatin changes.

Cell-Type-Specific Regulation of Cocaine Reward by the E2F3a Transcription Factor in Nucleus Accumbens

This study shows that E2F3a overexpression in D1-MSNs increases cocaine reward in both male and female mice, while knockdown has opposite effects, with no impact in D2-MSNs.

Monomethylation of Lysine 27 at Histone 3 Confers Lifelong Susceptibility to Stress

This study identifies H3K27me1 as a chromatin scar that mediates lifelong stress susceptibility through its role in altering gene expression in the nucleus accumbens.

Cocaine-Induced Gene Regulation in D1 and D2 Neuronal Ensembles of the Nucleus Accumbens Revealed by Single-Cell RNA Sequencing

The paper uses single-nucleus RNA sequencing to identify transcriptional changes in D1 and D2 neurons of the nucleus accumbens following cocaine exposure and withdrawal.

FosB/ΔFosB activation in mast cells regulates gene expression to modulate allergic inflammation in male mice

This study shows that FosB/ΔFosB in mast cells regulates gene expression to reduce allergic inflammation in male mice by enhancing DUSP4 expression.

Drugs of abuse hijack a mesolimbic pathway that processes homeostatic need

This study identifies Rheb as a molecular substrate in the nucleus accumbens that enables drugs of abuse to hijack reward circuits and suppress natural reward responses.

Sex-Specific Regulation of Stress Susceptibility by the Astrocytic Gene Htra1

The paper identifies sex-specific regulation of stress susceptibility by the astrocytic gene Htra1 in mice and humans, showing differential effects on neuronal signaling and ECM integrity.

Transcriptional characterization of cocaine withdrawal versus extinction within nucleus accumbens

The paper compares gene expression in the nucleus accumbens during cocaine withdrawal and extinction in rats, identifying distinct transcriptional patterns associated with different behavioral outcomes.

Male and female variability in response to chronic stress and morphine in C57BL/6J, DBA/2J, and their BXD progeny

The paper investigates genetic and sex differences in stress and morphine responses across mouse strains and their progeny, finding genetic influences on stress vulnerability and morphine sensitivity.

Astrocytic CREB in nucleus accumbens promotes susceptibility to chronic stress

This study shows that astrocytic CREB in the nucleus accumbens influences susceptibility to chronic stress through transcriptional changes.

DeepRegFinder: Deep Learning-Based Regulatory Elements Finder

DeepRegFinder uses deep learning to predict enhancers and promoters from genomic data, outperforming existing methods across multiple cell types.