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Interplay between Cocaine, Drug Removal, and Methylphenidate Reversal on Phospholipid Alterations in Drosophila Brain Determined by Imaging Mass Spectrometry
journal contribution
posted on 2020-02-21, 21:14 authored by Mai Hoang Philipsen, Nhu T. N. Phan, John Stephen Fletcher, Andrew G. EwingCocaine dependence
displays a broad impairment in cognitive performance
including attention, learning, and memory. To obtain a better understanding
of the action of cocaine in the nervous system, and the relation between
phospholipids and memory, we have investigated whether phospholipids
recover in the brain following cocaine removal using the fly model, Drosophila melanogaster. In addition, the effects of methylphenidate,
a substitute medication for cocaine dependence, on fly brain lipids
after cocaine abuse are also determined to see if it can rescue the
lipid changes caused by cocaine. Time of flight secondary ion mass
spectrometry with a (CO2)6000+ gas
cluster ion beam was used to detect intact phospholipids. We show
that cocaine has persistent effects, both increasing and decreasing
the levels of specific phosphatidylethanolamines and phosphatidylinositols.
These changes remain after cocaine withdrawal and are not rescued
by methylphenidate. Cocaine is again shown to generally increase the
levels of phosphatidylcholines in the fly brain; however, after drug
withdrawal, the abundance of these lipids returns to the original
level and methylphenidate treatment of the flies following cocaine
exposure enhances the reversal of the lipid level reducing them below
the original control. The study provides insight into the molecular
effects of cocaine and methylphenidate on brain lipids. We suggest
that phosphatidylcholines could be a potential target for the treatment
of cocaine abuse as well as be a significant hallmark of cognition
and memory loss with cocaine.