Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
Open access
Peer reviewed
Abstract
Abstract
Although both stress and cocaine induce robust plasticity within the nucleus accumbens core (NAcc), how these distinct experiences interact at the cellular level to shape behavior remains unclear. Here, we investigated the role of NAcc dopamine D2 receptor-expressing medium spiny neurons (D2R-MSNs) in integrating stress- and drug-induced signals. D2R-MSNs showed distinct activity responses, with increased activity during restraint stress and reduced activity following repeated cocaine exposure. Using the Cre-dependent Robust Activity Marking (cRAM) system, we found that cocaine exposure suppressed the activity of the subpopulation of D2R-MSNs previously recruited by stress. Optogenetic reactivation of these stress-tagged D2R-MSNs during withdrawal attenuated the expression of cocaine-induced behavioral sensitization. Transcriptomic profiling of stress-responsive D2R-MSNs identified cholecystokinin ( Cck ) as a candidate associated with this neuronal manipulation. Subsequent experiments showed that cocaine exposure increased CCK expression in NAcc D2R-MSNs, whereas conditional Cck knockdown reduced the expression of behavioral sensitization. Together, these findings suggest that stress-responsive D2R-MSNs contribute to the regulation of cocaine-induced behavioral sensitization and that CCK signaling within NAcc D2R-MSNs may be involved in this process.
Direct answer
What can I do from this paper page?
Use this page to scan "Stress-responsive nucleus accumbens dopamine D2 receptor-expressing neurons modulate cocaine-induced behavioral sensitization" quickly: start with the summary and abstract, then check the authors, source, topics, and related papers. From here, open Scollr to follow Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior research, save the paper, or map adjacent work.
Research areas
Follow related topics
Citation
BibTeX
@article{Kang2026Stress,
title = {Stress-responsive nucleus accumbens dopamine D2 receptor-expressing neurons modulate cocaine-induced behavioral sensitization},
author = {Byeong Jun Kang and Bokyeong Kim and Minji Kim and Yoonsoo Choi and Eum-Ji Kim and Ja Wook Koo and Ja‐Hyun Baik},
journal = {Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.3389/fncel.2026.1919290},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3389/fncel.2026.1919290}
}FAQ
Using this paper in a discovery workflow
How do I find related work for this paper?
Use the related papers and topic links on this page as starting points. In Scollr, you can also open the paper and build a literature map around its references, citing papers, and related work.
How can I keep up with new Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior research papers?
Follow Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior research in Scollr. New papers from the topic flow into a personalized feed, and you can save useful studies to revisit later.
Can I cite this paper from this page?
This page includes a static BibTeX block for Stress-responsive nucleus accumbens dopamine D2 receptor-expressing neurons modulate cocaine-induced behavioral sensitization. Always verify the DOI, source, and publication details against the publisher record before submitting a manuscript.
Follow this research in Scollr
Follow the topics and authors behind this paper, save useful studies, and build a literature map when you are ready to go deeper.
Get the app