Nicotine and Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol withdrawal induce Narp in the central nucleus of the amygdala.

The central nucleus of the amygdala plays a key role in mediating aversive responses to drug withdrawal, effects thought to contribute to continued drug use. In previous studies, we found that the immediate early gene Narp, which encodes a secreted protein that binds to AMPA receptors, is induced in this nucleus following opiate withdrawal. Furthermore, Narp deletion alters the acquisition and extinction of aversive conditioning induced by opiate withdrawal. We now report that Narp is also induced in the central nucleus following withdrawal from other drugs of abuse, nicotine and Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol, indicating that Narp is a common component of the transcriptional response triggered by drug withdrawal. (c) 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.