Regulation of BDNF Expression by Cocaine

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a member of the neurotrophin familyof growth factors. It is expressed throughout the nervous system. A uniquefeature of the BDNF gene is the existence of multiple mRNA transcripts, all ofwhich are translated into BDNF protein, suggesting a multilevel regulation ofexpression. In particular, the BDNF exon IV promoter region is a preferentialtarget for epigenetic alterations, as it contains binding sites for CREB andMeCP2, two transcriptional regulators known to mediate epigenetic changes.Exposure to drugs of abuse is known to modulate epigenetic regulation of BDNFgene expression. This review will discuss how exposure to cocaine, one of themost addictive drugs known to mankind, can produce alterations in BDNF geneexpression, especially in the mesolimbic dopaminergic system, which lead toalterations in the reward-mediated behaviors involved in addiction.