Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39577686›Full record

ArticleNeuroscience letters2025

Fentanyl exposure alters rat CB1 receptor expression in the insula, nucleus accumbens and substantia nigra.

Zuzu Gacso, George Adamson, Joseph Slama, Coco Xie, Emma Burdick, Kirk Persaud, Sharnom Chowdhury, Zaki Sya Ahmed, Emily Vaysman, Arthur Aminov and 2 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Neuroscience letters, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Zuzu GacsoDepartment of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Colgate University, Hamilton, NY, USA.
George AdamsonDepartment of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Colgate University, Hamilton, NY, USA.
Joseph SlamaDepartment of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Colgate University, Hamilton, NY, USA.
Coco XieDepartment of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Colgate University, Hamilton, NY, USA.
Emma BurdickDepartment of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Colgate University, Hamilton, NY, USA.
Kirk PersaudDepartment of Psychology, Queens College of the City University of New York, Flushing, NY, USA.
Sharnom ChowdhuryDepartment of Psychology, Queens College of the City University of New York, Flushing, NY, USA.
Zaki Sya AhmedDepartment of Psychology, Queens College of the City University of New York, Flushing, NY, USA.
Emily VaysmanDepartment of Psychology, Queens College of the City University of New York, Flushing, NY, USA.
Arthur AminovDepartment of Psychology, Queens College of the City University of New York, Flushing, NY, USA.
Robert RanaldiDepartment of Psychology, Queens College of the City University of New York, Flushing, NY, USA; The Graduate Center of the City University of New York, New York, NY, USA.
Ewa GalajDepartment of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Colgate University, Hamilton, NY, USA. Electronic address: egalaj@colgate.edu.

Funding

Environmental Enrichment as a Treatment for Heroin Use DisorderSC3GM130430 · NIGMS · QUEENS COLLEGE · PI RANALDI, ROBERT · 2019 to 2022
$462k
The role of the nigrothalamic pathway in opioid-driven behaviorsR15DA057501 · NIDA · COLGATE UNIVERSITY · PI GALAJ, EWA JOANNA · 2023 to 2023
$405k
NIDA NIH HHS R15 DA057501NIGMS NIH HHS SC3 GM130430
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Prolonged periods of opioid use have been shown to cause neuroadaptations in the brain's reward circuitry, contributing to addictive behaviors and drug dependence. Recently, considerable focus has been placed on the role of the endocannabinoid system (ECS) and its CB receptors in opioid-driven behaviors. However, opioid-induced neuroadaptations to the ECS remain understudied. In this study, we systematically assessed CB1 receptor (CB1R) protein expression within the cortico-mesolimbic-basal ganglia circuit in rats following chronic fentanyl exposure. Male and female Long Evans rats were administered increasing daily doses of fentanyl or saline for 14 days. During naloxone-precipitated withdrawal, fentanyl-treated rats exhibited significantly higher withdrawal symptoms than saline-treated controls. Using Western Blotting, we demonstrated that the fentanyl-treated rats had significantly higher CB1R expression in the insula and significantly lower CB1R expression in the nucleus accumbens and substantia nigra compared to saline-treated rats. No significant differences in CB1R expression were detected between saline and fentanyl-treated rats in the prefrontal cortex, dorsal striatum, medial septum, hypothalamus, amygdala, hippocampus, ventral tegmental area, periaqueductal gray area, pedunculopontine tegmentum, and laterodorsal tegmentum (LDT). These findings suggest that chronic fentanyl exposure leads to region-specific neuroadaptations of CB1R protein expression in motivation- and addiction-associated brain regions.

Indexed as

FentanylNucleus AccumbensRats, Long-EvansReceptor, Cannabinoid, CB1Substantia NigraAnalgesics, OpioidAnimalsCerebral CortexFemaleInsular CortexMaleRatsSubstance Withdrawal SyndromeAnalgesics, OpioidFentanylReceptor, Cannabinoid, CB1CB1FentanylInsulaNeuroadaptationNucleus accumbensSubstantia nigraWithdrawal

Identifiers

PMID39577686
PMCPMC11647506

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.