Cocaine self-administration behavior can be reduced or potentiated by the addition of specific dopamine concentrations in the nucleus accumbens and amygdala using in vivo microdialysis
Yl. Hurd et M. Ponten, Cocaine self-administration behavior can be reduced or potentiated by the addition of specific dopamine concentrations in the nucleus accumbens and amygdala using in vivo microdialysis, BEH BRA RES, 116(2), 2000, pp. 177-186
Potentiation of mesolimbic dopamine levels is generally hypothesized to be
reinforcing and contribute to the self-administration of addictive drugs su
ch as cocaine. In the present study, the in vivo microdialysis technique wa
s used to directly manipulate extracellular dopamine concentrations in the
nucleus accumbens (NAC) shell and the amygdala (AMY) in rats maintaining st
able patterns of cocaine (1.5 mg/kg/infusion) intake under a fixed ratio 1
schedule of reinforcement. In the NAG, a perfusate dopamine concentration o
f 90 nM was found to reduce cocaine self-administration, whereas a perfusat
e concentration of 450 nM increased the intake of cocaine. In the AMY, 45 n
M perfusate dopamine inhibited cocaine self-administration, whereas 90 nM p
erfusate dopamine enhanced cocaine intake. The attenuation or potentiation
of cocaine intake behavior was maintained throughout the time period (30 or
60 min) of the manipulation of the perfusate dopamine (DA) concentrations
in the NAC and AMY. Other perfusate concentrations tested, 180 and 360 nM,
in both the nucleus accumbens and amygdala, were without effect on altering
the stable pattern of cocaine self-administration behavior. Overall, these
experiments show that elevated mesolimbic dopamine concentrations can diff
erentially modulate cocaine self-administration behavior. (C) 2000 Elsevier
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