Forensic Context

A systematic review of the literature on miRNAs in substance abuse, which included studies in humans, rats, mice, zebrafish, and macaques, found that the miR-301b-3p is downregulated by acute cocaine use in an Ago2-dependent manner and is implicated in neural plasticity and motivation [Occhipinti et al. DOI:10.3390/Ijms242317122]. A systematic review of substance abuse literature indicates that the miR-301b-3p is down-regulated with social enrichment in ethanol-exposed neonatal mice [Mandal et al. DOI:10.1002/JAT.3504] and is also down-regulated by acute cocaine use in an Ago2-dependent manner, suggesting a role in neural plasticity and motivation [Occhipinti et al. DOI:10.3390/IJMS242317122].