Preference for a cocaine-associated environment is attenuated by augmented accumbal serotonin in cocaine withdrawn rats (original) (raw)
Abstract.
Rationale: Recent studies have found decreased serotonin (5-HT) transmission within the nucleus accumbens following withdrawal from chronic cocaine. Objective: We sought to investigate whether increasing brain 5-HT levels would decrease behavioral responses that occur following cocaine withdrawal, namely increased preference for a cocaine environment and anxiety. Methods: The conditioned place preference and the defensive burying paradigms were used to measure the behavioral responses that occur 1 week following cocaine withdrawal. Results: We show that pharmacological agents that increase 5-HT transmission (sertraline or 5-hydoxytryptophan, 5-HTP) abolish the preference of subchronically cocaine-treated, abstinent rats for a cocaine-associated environment. Similar results were seen when sertraline was microinjected into the nucleus accumbens. Conversely, rats acutely conditioned with cocaine showed an increased preference for a cocaine-associated environment when pretreated with these drugs. Sertraline also decreased the heightened anxiety-like behaviors found in subchronically treated cocaine rats. Conclusions: These results indicate that drugs that augment 5-HT function may reduce the desire for cocaine following cocaine withdrawal, and thus facilitate cocaine abstinence in dependent subjects.
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Authors and Affiliations
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, VAMC (151) Room A520, University and Woodland Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA, , , , ,
Glenda C. Harris, Kim Altomare & Gary Aston-Jones
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- Glenda C. Harris
- Kim Altomare
- Gary Aston-Jones
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Harris, G.C., Altomare, K. & Aston-Jones, G. Preference for a cocaine-associated environment is attenuated by augmented accumbal serotonin in cocaine withdrawn rats.Psychopharmacology 156, 14–22 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1007/s002130100693
- Received: 06 March 2000
- Accepted: 08 January 2001
- Issue date: June 2001
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s002130100693