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Prenatal cocaine's lasting cellular effects

edominantly sequestered inside the cells.

"The fascinating thing is that this effect appears permanent," said Stanwood. This implies that cocaine exposure during a brief, sensitive period of neural development can lead to long-lasting effects at the cellular level.

This change also altered the growth of neuronal processes, suggesting that the altered D1 receptor trafficking may underlie the changes in neuronal architecture and behavior that Stanwood and others have previously observed.

What remains to be determined, he cautioned, is whether D1 receptor localization is affected in humans exposed to cocaine prenatally.

If found in humans, "it gives us a new way to think about helping those children as they continue to mature." Because cocaine exposure seems to alter the distribution of the D1 receptor, Stanwood suggests that researchers might find a way to "steer" the receptor into the correct cellular location. That could provide new avenues for treating the attention problems in cocaine-exposed children, as well as in children with stimulant-resistant ADHD.

"Neither we nor anyone else has yet identified whether this mechanism occurs in the human population," Stanwood said, "so that is a critical next step."
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Source:Vanderbilt University Medical Center


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