Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42114996›Full record

ArticleeNeuro2026

Assessment of Cell-Type-Specific Excitatory Synaptic Strength in the Dorsolateral Striatum of Goal-Directed and Habitual Cocaine-Seeking Behavior.

Kaliana M Veros, Maureen M Timm, Peter J West, Karen S Wilcox, Kristen A Keefe

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in eNeuro, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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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

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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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

5 authors.

Kaliana M VerosDepartment of Pharmacology & Toxicology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112.
Maureen M TimmDepartment of Pharmacology & Toxicology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112.
Peter J WestDepartment of Pharmacology & Toxicology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112.ORCID 0000-0002-5774-5180
Karen S WilcoxDepartment of Pharmacology & Toxicology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112.ORCID 0000-0003-2660-8826
Kristen A KeefeDepartment of Pharmacology & Toxicology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112 k.keefe@utah.edu.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

With repeated exposure to addictive drugs, there is a shift from drug abuse to drug addiction that is mediated by the transition from goal-directed to habitual control. It is well known that the development of habitual control over behavior relies upon cell-type-specific synaptic changes in both D1 and D2 medium spiny neurons (MSNs) in dorsal striatum. Specifically, habitual behavior is mediated by increased synaptic strength in D1 and D2 MSNs in dorsolateral striatum (DLS), suggesting similar cell-type-specific synaptic changes may underlie the development of habitual cocaine-seeking behavior. However, cell-type-specific synaptic changes have not been evaluated in DLS in this context. Therefore, we trained male rats to self-administer cocaine in a self-administration paradigm that allows for differentiation of goal-directed versus habitual cocaine-seeking behavior. Moreover, we used a viral vector under a D2-specific promoter to fluorescently label D2 MSNs with eYFP in DLS. Evoked excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) were used to determine AMPA:NMDA receptor ratio and the rectification index. Surprisingly, we did not observe any significant differences in these measures in DLS of cocaine-seeking rats, regardless of whether cocaine-seeking was under habitual control. Interestingly, preliminary observations revealed significant changes in the paired-pulse ratio (PPR), suggesting that presynaptic mechanisms may be involved in the development of habitual control over cocaine-seeking. Overall, however, these results suggest there are no changes in postsynaptic strength of D2 MSNs in the DLS of rats with an extended history of cocaine self-administration and regardless of whether the cocaine-seeking is under goal-directed or habitual control.

Indexed as

CocaineCorpus StriatumDrug-Seeking BehaviorExcitatory Postsynaptic PotentialsGoalsNeuronsSynapsesAnimalsDopamine Uptake InhibitorsHabitsMaleMedium Spiny NeuronsRatsRats, Sprague-DawleyReceptors, AMPAReceptors, Dopamine D2CocaineDopamine Uptake InhibitorsReceptors, AMPAReceptors, Dopamine D2Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate

Identifiers

PMID42114996
PMCPMC13211988

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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.