FOOD-DEPRIVATION HISTORY AND COCAINE SELF-ADMINISTRATION - AN ANIMAL-MODEL OF BINGE-EATING

In this two-part study, an animal model of binge eating was first prod uced, then the rate of acquisition of cocaine self-administration was assessed. Initially, 16 female weanling rats were food deprived (DEPR) at 25, 95, and 143 days of age. Another group of 16 age-matched contr ols was allowed ad lib access to food. Each time the DEPR group was fo od deprived, they were allowed to recover to normal weight. They were then injected with butorphanol tartrate (BUTR), an opioid that stimula tes feeding, and food intake was measured for 4 h. All rats given BUTR consumed significantly more food than those given saline. Animals wit h DEPR history consumed food over a longer period of time, and at h 4 after BUTR injection, they consumed significantly more food than contr ols. In the second part of the experiment, an autoshaping procedure wa s used to quantitatively evaluate the rate of acquisition of cocaine s elf-administration By day 30, 86% of the DEPR and 69% of the control g roups had acquired cocaine self-administration.