Characterization of genetically complex Collaborative Cross mouse strains that model divergent locomotor activating and reinforcing properties of cocaine.

Rationale: Few effective treatments exist for cocaine use disorders due to gaps in knowledge about its complex etiology. Genetically defined animal models provide a useful tool for advancing our understanding of the biological and genetic underpinnings of addiction-related behavior and evaluating potential treatments. However, many attempts at developing mouse models of behavioral disorders were based on overly simplified single gene perturbations, often leading to inconsistent and misleading results in pre-clinical pharmacology studies.

MicroRNA-19b predicts widespread pain and posttraumatic stress symptom risk in a sex-dependent manner following trauma exposure.

Posttraumatic widespread pain (PTWP) and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) are frequent comorbid sequelae of trauma that occur at different rates in women and men. We sought to identify microRNA (miRNA) that may contribute to sex-dependent differences in vulnerability to these outcomes. Monte Carlo simulations (x10,000) identified miRNA in which predicted targeting of PTWP or PTSS genes was most enriched.

A Functional riboSNitch in the 3' Untranslated Region of Alters MicroRNA-320a Binding Efficiency and Mediates Vulnerability to Chronic Post-Traumatic Pain.

Previous studies have shown that common variants of the gene coding for FK506-binding protein 51 (), a critical regulator of glucocorticoid sensitivity, affect vulnerability to stress-related disorders. In a previous report, rs1360780 was identified as a functional variant because of its effect on gene methylation. Here we report evidence for a novel functional allele, rs3800373.

Genetic variant rs3750625 in the 3'UTR of ADRA2A affects stress-dependent acute pain severity after trauma and alters a microRNA-34a regulatory site.

α2A adrenergic receptor (α2A-AR) activation has been shown in animal models to play an important role in regulating the balance of acute pain inhibition vs facilitation after both physical and psychological stress. To our knowledge, the influence of genetic variants in the gene encoding α2A-AR, ADRA2A, on acute pain outcomes in humans experiencing traumatic stress has not been assessed. In this study, we tested whether a genetic variant in the 3'UTR of ADRA2A, rs3750625, is associated with acute musculoskeletal pain (MSP) severity following motor vehicle collision (MVC, n = 948) and sexual assault (n = 84), and whether this influence was affected by stress severity.