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Alpha(1)-noradrenergic system role in increased motivation for cocaine intake in rats with prolonged access

Academic Article
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Overview

authors

  • Wee, Sunmee
  • Mandyam, Chitra
  • Lekic, D. M.
  • Koob, George

publication date

  • April 2008

journal

  • European Neuropsychopharmacology  Journal

abstract

  • In rodents, extended access to cocaine produces an escalation in cocaine self-administration that has face and construct validity for human compulsive drug intake. Here we report that rats with six-hour access (long access, LgA) to cocaine self-administration produced a higher breakpoint for cocaine using a progressive-ratio schedule than rats with one-hour access (short access, ShA), and prazosin (alpha 1 receptor antagonist) reduced the higher breakpoint for cocaine in LgA rats. Additionally, the number of neurons with alpha 1-adrenergic receptor-like immunoreactivity in the bed nucleus of stria terminalis (BNST) was found to be much lower in LgA rats than in ShA and drug-naive rats. In contrast, UK14304 (alpha 2 receptor agonist) and betaxolol (beta 1 receptor antagonist) had no effect on cocaine self-administration in either group. The data suggest that activation of the alpha 1-noradrenergic system, perhaps in the BNST, is associated with increased motivation for cocaine in rats with extended access.

subject areas

  • Adrenergic alpha-Agonists
  • Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists
  • Adrenergic beta-Antagonists
  • Animals
  • Betaxolol
  • Brain Chemistry
  • Brimonidine Tartrate
  • Cocaine-Related Disorders
  • Conditioning, Operant
  • Data Interpretation, Statistical
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Immunohistochemistry
  • Male
  • Motivation
  • Prazosin
  • Quinoxalines
  • Rats
  • Rats, Wistar
  • Receptors, Adrenergic, alpha-1
  • Self Administration
  • Septal Nuclei
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Research

keywords

  • alpha-1 noradrenergic receptor
  • bed nucleus of stria terminalis
  • cocaine
  • escalation
  • rats
  • self-administration
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Identity

PubMed Central ID

  • PMC2376122

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 0924-977X

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2007.08.003

PubMed ID

  • 17920248
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Additional Document Info

start page

  • 303

end page

  • 311

volume

  • 18

issue

  • 4

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