# Amphetamine causes transgenerational effects

> **NIH NIH R01** · FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $336,375

## Abstract

Although family history represents one of the greatest risk factors for drug addiction, the
genetic and epigenetic basis for such illnesses remains poorly understood. A growing body of
evidence indicates that many drugs of abuse, such as amphetamine or cocaine, induce
alterations in gene expression which appear transiently after drug exposure. However, no study
has been conducted so far elucidating the effects that repeated drug administration can
generate in subsequent generations. Because drug addiction is a highly heritable illness, it is
crucial to examine whether altered gene expressions induced by drugs of abuse are likewise
transmittable to future generations. This would involve stable, epigenetic modifications, which
persist in offspring and affect addiction vulnerability.
 The central goal of this grant proposal is to investigate the trans-generational effects of
amphetamine at the dopaminergic synapses. Particularly, we investigate the transgenerational
effects amphetamine causes at the dopamine transporter and dopamine receptors because
these proteins are important targets of drugs of abuse such amphetamine and cocaine, and are
central key players of the reward pathway. We hypothesize that by triggering epigenetic
changes in the genes and pathways responsible for mediating the brain’s response to
amphetamine, behavioral and physiological changes associated with this psychostimulant are
passed down to subsequent generations. Our proposal investigate the epigenetic changes
induced by amphetamine that are passed through subsequent generations (Aim 2) and includes
a thorough functional investigation of how amphetamine alters the activity of key players of the
dopaminergic system in progeny (Aim 1). Importantly, as epigenetic mechanisms are dynamic
and reversible, we also designed a plan in which we test if pharmacological intervention, with
specific drugs that inhibit epigenetic modifications, prevents the transgenerational effects
induced by amphetamine (Aim 3).

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9954067
- **Project number:** 5R01DA042156-05
- **Recipient organization:** FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Lucia Carvelli
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $336,375
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-08-01 → 2023-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9954067

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9954067, Amphetamine causes transgenerational effects (5R01DA042156-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9954067. Licensed CC0.

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