Sensitivity to cocaine conditioned reward depends on sex and age - PubMed (original) (raw)

Sensitivity to cocaine conditioned reward depends on sex and age

Elena Zakharova et al. Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 2009 Mar.

Abstract

Human and animal laboratory studies show that females and males respond differently to drugs and that drug administration during adolescence leads to different behavioral effects than during adulthood. Adult female rats are more sensitive to the behavioral effects of cocaine than adult males, but it is not known if the same effect of sex exists during adolescence. In the present study, sensitivity to the conditioned reward of cocaine was evaluated using a conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm where adolescent (PND 34) and adult (PND 66) male and female rats were trained and tested for the development of CPP to multiple doses of cocaine. Female rats developed CPP at lower doses than males, regardless of age. In addition, adolescent male and female rats established a CPP at lower doses of cocaine than adult male and female rats, respectively. Thus, both age and sex altered cocaine conditioned reward with the order of sensitivity being adolescent females > adult females > adolescent males > adult males. These data show that adolescents are more sensitive to the conditioned rewarding properties of cocaine than adults and that females respond to lower doses of cocaine compared to males regardless of age.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig.1

Dose-effect curves for cocaine CPP in (A) periadolescent female (PAF) vs periadolescent male (PAM) and (B) adult female (ADF) vs adult male (ADM). Data are presented as mean ± SEM post-pre values (time spent in cocaine-paired side during post-test minus pretest in seconds). N=8-12 rats/group. * significant difference from 0 (p<0.05).

References

1. Andersen SL, Teicher MH. Sex differences in dopamine receptors and their relevance to ADHD. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews. 2000;24:137–41. - PubMed
1. Badanich KA, Adler KJ, Kirstein CL. Adolescents differ from adults in cocaine conditioned place preference and cocaine-induced dopamine in the nucleus accumbens septi. Eur J Pharmacol. 2006;550:95–106. - PubMed
1. Balda MA, Anderson KL, Itzhak Y. Adolescent and adult responsiveness to the incentive value of cocaine reward in mice: role of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) gene. Neuropharmacology. 2006;51:341–9. - PubMed
1. Becker JB, Molenda H, Hummer DL. Gender differences in the behavioral responses to cocaine and amphetamine: implications for mechanisms mediating gender differences in drug abuse. Annals New York Academy of Sciences. 2001;937:172–87. - PubMed
1. Bowman BP, Kuhn CM. Age-related differences in the chronic and acute response to cocaine in the rat. Developmental Psychobiology. 1996;29:597–611. - PubMed

Sensitivity to cocaine conditioned reward depends on sex and age - PubMed (original) (raw)