Abstract
Earlier studies suggesting an involvement of cocaine and amphetamine regulated transcript peptide (CARTp) in the actions of drugs of abuse are confirmed in the most recent publications. This seems especially true for the psychostimulants where CARTp in the nucleus accumbens inhibits or regulates the actions of these drugs; the regulation is lost after repeated drug use which may be an important mechanism in addiction. The other drugs, including nicotine, alcohol, opiates, and perhaps caffeine can affect CARTp or CART mRNA levels. While the exact mechanism is not always clear, the hope is that these findings may provide some insight for the development of medications. While binding studies indicate the existence of specific G-protein coupled receptors (GPCR) receptors for CARTp, major work to be done is the cloning of these receptors.
Highlights
This is a review of progress on the role of cocaine and amphetamine regulated transcript (CART) peptides in the area of drug abuse
Injections of CART into the periphery might have central effects. These studies support the hypothesis that CART peptides (CARTp) regulates psychostimulant and dopamine-related activities associated with the nucleus accumbens (NAc) circuitry
There are some uncertainties such as whether or not the injections of exogenous CARTp produce the same effects as natural CARTp neurotransmission
Summary
This is a review of progress on the role of CART peptides in the area of drug abuse. It covers the last five to six years, and the papers discussed were identified in a PubMed search using the terms “CART peptides (CARTp)” and “cocaine and amphetamine regulated transcript (CART).”. The discussion is arranged according to the various drugs and CART receptors. For information on the discovery of CART, its genes and processing and regulation, receptors and signaling, and its role in a variety of functions and diseases, see other more general reviews and papers [1,2,3,4,5]. General and comparative anatomy, and yet others. CART continues to be a very fertile area of research with many implications. CART peptide will be abbreviated CARTp and it will refer to CART (55–102) or CART (62–102), or the corresponding peptides found in the human brain (CART (42–89) and (49– 89)) [1]
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