Transcriptional profiling reveals differential changes in the respective expression of oxytocin and CART mRNA levels in the nucleus accumbens and dorsal striatum of compulsive methamphetamine taking rats (nucleus accumbens). Rattus norvegicus

Methamphetamine addiction is mimicked in rats that self-administer the drug and accelerate their intake when given long access to it. Self-administration (SA) models do not include adverse consequences that are necessary to reach a diagnosis of addiction in humans. Here, we studied transcriptional consequences of methamphetamine SA and repeated foot-shocks in rat brain. Overall design: Six rats from each of the 3 groups including control, shock resistant, and shock sensitive and three rats from each of 2 groups including saline yoked to shock resistant and saline yoked to shock sensitive were selected based on RNA quality and integrity for RNA extraction and hybridization on Affymetrix microarrays.