Orally delivered cocaine functions as a positive reinforcer in C57BL/6J mice

Chronic cocaine causes long-term alterations in circadian period and photic entrainment in the mouse

The disruptive effects of cocaine on physiological, behavioral and genetic processes are well established. However, few studies have focused on the actions of cocaine on the adult circadian timekeeping system, and none have explored the circadian implications of long-term (weeks to months) cocaine exposure. The present study was undertaken to explore the actions of such long-term cocaine administration on core circadian parameters in mice, including rhythm period, length of the nocturnal activity period and photic entrainment. For cocaine dosing over extended periods, cocaine was provided in drinking water using continuous and scheduled regimens. The impact of chronic cocaine on circadian regulation was evidenced by disruptions of the period of circadian entrainment and intrinsic free-running circadian period. Specifically, mice under a skeleton photoperiod (1-min pulse of dim light delivered daily) receiving continuous ad libitum cocaine entrained rapidly to the light pulse at activity onset. Conversely, water controls entrained more slowly at activity offset through a process of phase-delays, which resulted in their activity rhythms being entrained 147° out of phase with the cocaine group. This pattern persisted after cocaine withdrawal. Next, mice exposed to scheduled daily cocaine presentations exhibited free-running periods under constant darkness that were significantly longer than water controls and which also persisted after cocaine withdrawal. These cocaine-induced perturbations of clock timing could produce chronic psychological and physiological stress, contributing to increased cocaine use and dependence.

A genetic animal model of differential sensitivity to methamphetamine reinforcement

Sensitivity to reinforcement from methamphetamine (MA) likely influences risk for MA addiction, and genetic differences are one source of individual variation. Generation of two sets of selectively bred mouse lines for high and low MA drinking has shown that genetic factors influence MA intake, and pronounced differences in sensitivity to rewarding and aversive effects of MA play a significant role. Further validation of these lines as a unique genetic model relevant to MA addiction was obtained using operant methods to study MA reinforcement. High and low MA drinking line mice were used to test the hypotheses that: 1) oral and intracerebroventricular (ICV) MA serve as behavioral reinforcers, and 2) MA exhibits greater reinforcing efficacy in high than low MA drinking mice. Operant responses resulted in access to an MA or non-MA drinking tube or intracranial delivery of MA. Behavioral activation consequent to orally consumed MA was determined. MA available for consumption maintained higher levels of reinforced instrumental responding in high than low MA drinking line mice, and MA intake in the oral operant procedure was greater in high than low MA drinking line mice. Behavioral activation was associated with amount of MA consumed during operant sessions. High line mice delivered more MA via ICV infusion than did low line mice across a range of doses. Thus, genetic risk factors play a critical role in the reinforcing efficacy of MA and the oral self-administration procedure is suitable for delineating genetic contributions to MA reinforcement.

Adult mice voluntarily progress to nicotine dependence in an oral self-selection assay

Nicotine has both rewarding and aversive properties in rodents, as shown by intravenous self-administration, intracranial self-stimulation, and conditioned place preference experiments. However, high throughput models of nicotine reward have not been developed in mice. In previous two-bottle studies, mice often chose to drink less from the nicotine bottle than from the water bottle, which raises the question whether these paradigms provide a model of the reinforcing properties of oral nicotine. We hypothesized that previous two-bottle choice paradigms included factors (such as the brief duration of trials, the addition of flavorings to both bottles, water bottles located relatively close to each other, etc.) that may have obstructed the formation of a learned association between the taste of nicotine and its delayed pharmacological effects. Here we show that a paradigm designed to simplify the acquisition of a learned association resulted in nicotine consumption by various strains and sexes that diverged progressively over a period of seven weeks. The strain and sex with the highest nicotine consumption (C57BL/6J females) showed steady and statistically significant increases in nicotine consumption throughout this period. C57BL/6J females were clearly responding to the reinforcing properties of nicotine because they chose to drink over 70% of their fluids from the nicotine bottle. Moreover, they became nicotine dependent, as shown by highly significant nicotine withdrawal symptoms after the nicotine bottle was removed. The strain and sex with the lowest consumption (A/J males) showed a significant decrease in nicotine consumption, and by the end of the experiment were drinking only 24% of their fluids from the nicotine bottle.

Evaluation of study design variables and their impact on food-maintained operant responding in mice

Operant conditioning paradigms are useful for studying factors involved in reward, particularly when combined with the tools of genetic manipulation in mice. Published operant studies involving mice vary widely with respect to design, and insight into the consequences of design choices on performance in mice is limited. Here, we evaluated the impact of five design variables on the performance of inbred male mice in operant tasks involving solid food pellets as reinforcing agents. We found that the use of lever-press or nose-poke during FR1 sessions did not impact the performance of C57BL/6 mice, but that the lever-press approach correlated with enhanced performance during PR testing. While FR1 session duration had a notable impact on the rate of acquisition of food-maintained responding, performance during FR1 and PR sessions was largely unaffected. Higher order schedules of reinforcement (FR3 and FR5) led to elevated responding during both FR and PR sessions, and improved the correspondence between rewards earned and consumed. Single and group-housed mice performed indistinguishably during FR1 and PR sessions, while environmental enrichment combined with group housing accelerated the rate of acquisition of food-maintained responding while decreasing responding during PR testing. Finally, while C57BL/6 and 129/Sv mice exhibited comparable behavior during FR1 sessions, C57BL/6 mice tended to acquire food-maintained responding faster than 129/Sv counterparts, and exhibited elevated responding during PR testing. Altogether, our findings indicate that while operant performance for food in mice is relatively insensitive to many study parameters, experimental outcomes can be shaped predictably with proper design decisions.

Association Between Sweet Preference and Paternal History of Alcoholism in Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Patients

BACKGROUND

The relationship between preference for stronger sweet solutions and propensity to excessive alcohol drinking is supported by both animal and human studies. This study was designed to test the hypothesis that sweet preference is associated with the genetic risk of alcoholism as measured by a paternal history of alcoholism.

METHODS

Participants were 180 patients admitted to a residential treatment program for the treatment of alcoholism, drug dependence, or psychiatric conditions. In addition to a routine medical examination, patients completed the standard sweet preference test twice (on the 9th and 24th days after admission), and the family history of alcoholism was evaluated.

RESULTS

Sweet preference was shown to be stable over time. It was strongly associated with a paternal history of alcoholism, with family history-positive patients approximately 5 times more likely to prefer stronger sweet solutions than family history-negative subjects. Such factors as dependence on alcohol, cocaine, opiates, cannabis, other drugs (including prescription drugs), and tobacco smoking, as well as demographics (gender and age), did not significantly interfere with association between sweet preference and paternal history of alcoholism.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings provide some support for the hypothesis that preference for stronger sweet solutions is associated with a genetic predisposition to alcoholism as measured by a paternal history of alcoholism.

Voluntary self-administration of both morphine and cocaine by rats

Voluntary self-administration of cocaine and/or morphine was studied in rats. Male rats were offered water bottles or bottles containing either cocaine or morphine, both cocaine and morphine (combination) or cocaine and morphine as a mixture. Alternating the three drug-containing bottles had no effect on drug choice. When offered alone, rats consumed about 12 +/- 8 mg/kg/day of cocaine or 0.3 +/- 0.3 mg/kg/day of morphine. When both drugs were offered in combination, they consumed a higher amount of cocaine (22 +/- 7), but the same amount of morphine (0.4 +/- 0.3). Availability of cocaine/morphine mixture kept morphine consumption constant (0.3 +/- 0.1), but markedly decreased cocaine intake (0.3 +/- 0.2). Addition of saccharin to the drug solutions only slightly increased consumption of both drugs, whereas saccharin added as a competitor or distracter to the drug solution reduced cocaine but not morphine self-administration. Animals showed wide interindividual variations but surprisingly small intraindividual variations in self-administration of cocaine or morphine under all conditions. No correlation between cocaine and morphine intake was apparent in the combination situation. Forcing animals first with cocaine had no effect on subsequent intake of cocaine or morphine presented in combination. However, forcing animals first with morphine subsequently increased morphine and reduced cocaine intake. In conclusion, morphine intake was the same if offered alone, in combination or as a mixture, whereas cocaine intake increased during a combination but decreased in the mixture situation. Cocaine pre-exposure had no effect on subsequent voluntary morphine or cocaine choice, whereas morphine pre-exposure increased subsequent voluntary morphine but decreased cocaine intake. These results suggest the possibility of two reward centers, one for each drug, the morphine center exerting a dominant influence over the cocaine center.

The genetics of addiction: alcohol-dependence and D3 dopamine receptor gene

Alcohol-dependence is a complex phenotype, with behavioral, psychological, pharmacological, medical and social dimensions. Aggregation studies, adoption and twin researches have demonstrated that the vulnerability to alcohol-dependence is at least in part linked to genetic factors, the genetic vulnerability to alcoholism being mainly not substance-specific. There are numerous candidate genes, but the D3 dopamine receptor is specifically located in the limbic area, and in particular in the nucleus accumbens, which are involved in reward and reinforcement behavior. Furthermore, a previous collaborative study showed that homozygosity for the Ball DRD3 locus was more frequently observed in opiate dependent patients with high sensation seeking scores. In this study, we analyzed the distribution of Ball DRD3 polymorphism in a new sample of 131 French male alcoholic-patients (DSM III-R criteria) and 68 healthy controls matched for sex and origins. Although we replicated the higher sensation seeking score in alcohol-dependent patients with comorbid dependence, we found no significant difference in the DRD3 gene polymorphism between controls and alcoholic patients, regardless of sensation seeking score, addictive or psychiatric comorbidity, alcoholism typology, and clinical specificities of alcoholism. There is good evidence that gene coding for the dopamine receptor D3 does not play a major role in the genetic vulnerability to alcoholism.

Oral drug self-administration: an overview of laboratory animal studies

Many abused drugs can be established as orally delivered reinforcers for rhesus monkeys and other animals. Benzodiazepines, barbiturates, opioids, psychomotor stimulants, dissociative anesthetics, and ethanol can come to serve as reinforcers when taken by mouth. The principal problems in establishing drugs as reinforcers by the oral route of administration are (1) aversive taste, (2) delay in onset of central nervous system effects, and (3) consumption of low volumes of drug solution. Strategies have been devised to successfully overcome these problems, and orally delivered drugs can be established as effective reinforcers. Reinforcing actions are demonstrated by consumption of greater volumes of drug solution than volumes of the water vehicle, and supporting evidence for reinforcing effects consists of the maintenance of behavior under intermittent schedules of reinforcement and the generation of orderly dose-response functions. This article presents an overview of studies of behavior reinforced by oral drug reinforcement. Factors that control oral drug intake include dose, schedule of reinforcement, food restriction, and alternative reinforcers. Many drugs, administered by the experimenter, can alter oral drug reinforcement. Relative reinforcing effects can be assessed by choice procedures and by persistence of behavior across increases in schedule size. In general, reinforcing effects increase directly with dose. Rhesus monkeys prefer combinations of reinforcing drugs to the component drugs. The taste of drug solutions may act as a conditioned reinforcer and a discriminative stimulus. Consequences of drug intake include tolerance and physiological dependence. Findings with orally self-administered drugs are similar to many findings with other positive reinforcers, including intravenously self-administered drugs.

The effect of gamma-vinyl-GABA on the consumption of concurrently available oral cocaine and ethanol in the rat

It has frequently been reported that a high percentage of individuals, identified as either alcohol- or cocaine-dependent, concurrently abuse both drugs. The experiments reported here represent a continuing effort to develop an animal model to predict the effects of a potential pharmacotherapeutic agent on concurrently available oral ethanol and cocaine. These experiments utilized drinkometer circuitry to assess the effects of gamma-vinyl-GABA (GVG), a gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) transaminase inhibitor, on the consumption and temporal pattern of responses for orally self-administered ethanol and cocaine. The results of these experiments showed that GVG, at doses of 100, 200 and 300 mg/kg, reduced both ethanol and cocaine consumption in a dose-related manner. When compared to vehicle, GVG at all doses significantly reduced ethanol consumption while consumption of cocaine was significantly reduced only at 300 mg/kg. This is consistent with data showing that GVG reduces consumption of these drugs when administered alone and data showing that GVG is more potent in reducing ethanol-induced compared to cocaine-induced extracellular dopamine in the nucleus accumbens. Analysis of the temporal pattern of drinking across the session suggests that GVG's effects are due to a disruption of the reinforcing properties of ethanol and cocaine rather than a more general reduction in motor behavior. These data suggest that GVG has potential for clinical use in populations that abuse either alcohol or cocaine alone or in combination.

Acute physiological and behavioral effects of oral cocaine in humans: a dose-response analysis

The present study was designed to assess the acute physiological and behavioral effects of a wide range of doses of oral cocaine HCL (placebo, 50, 100, 200, and 300 mg). Nine volunteers (eight males and one female) with recent histories of cocaine use resided on a general inpatient psychiatry unit while they participated. Drug doses were administered in a double-blind fashion under medical supervision, but for safety purposes, they were administered in ascending order. The physiological, subject-rated, and performance effects of oral cocaine HCL were assessed before drug administration and periodically afterwards for 5 h. Oral cocaine HCL increased heart rate and blood pressure as a graded function of dose, but the magnitude of these effects were not clinically significant. Oral cocaine HCL produced positive subject-rated drug effects (e.g. increased ratings of good effects, like drug, and willing to take again), but did not affect performance. Consistent with the pharmacokinetics of oral cocaine HCL, drug effects were generally discernible from placebo 0.5-1 h after administration, peaked approximately 1 h after administration, and progressively abated during the remainder of the experimental session. The results of this experiment demonstrate that across a six-fold range of doses oral cocaine HCL is well tolerated by individuals with recent histories of cocaine use and can be safely administered under controlled laboratory and medical conditions.

Ratio size and cocaine concentration effects on oral cocaine-reinforced behavior

Monkeys were given a choice between cocaine solutions and water under concurrent fixed-ratio reinforcement schedules. The operant response was spout contact. Six rhesus monkeys served as subjects. The cocaine concentration was varied from 0.0125 to 0.8 mg/ml, and the fixed-ratio value was varied from 8 to 128. Cocaine maintained higher response rates than did water over a wide range of conditions. Response rate and number of cocaine deliveries per session were inverted U-shaped functions of concentration. These functions were shifted to the right as the fixed ratio was increased. The number of cocaine deliveries was more persistent as fixed-ratio value was increased when the unit dose was larger rather than smaller. Cocaine consumption was analyzed as a function of unit price (fixed-ratio value divided by cocaine concentration), and unit price accounted for between 77% and 92% of the variance in cocaine consumption for individual monkeys. The current data support the claim that a drug's reinforcing effects increase directly with dose and underscore the need to gather parametric data when examining the effects of experimental manipulations on a drug-reinforced baseline.

Gamma-hydroxybutyric acid intake in ethanol-preferring sP and -nonpreferring sNP rats

Gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) and ethanol share several pharmacological similarities, suggesting that GHB may exert ethanol-like effects in the central nervous system. The present study was designed to test whether selectively bred ethanol-preferring rats would, unlike ethanol-nonpreferring ones, self-administer GHB, consistent with their higher preference for ethanol. Male ethanol-naive Sardinian alcohol-preferring (sP) and Sardinian alcohol-nonpreferring (sNP) rats were used. In Experiment 1, GHB solution (1% (w/v) in water) was initially offered as the sole fluid available for 14 consecutive days and then presented under the two-bottle, free-choice regimen, one bottle containing water and the other the GHB solution, for an additional 14 consecutive days. During the free-choice phase, high preference for GHB and intake of pharmacologically relevant daily doses of GHB developed in both rat lines, presumably because the 14-day no-choice period would unmask the reinforcing properties of GHB and lead to acquisition of GHB preference also in the supposedly less susceptible sNP rats. In Experiment 2, the forced GHB drinking phase was reduced to 3 days. Under the subsequent free-choice regimen, daily GHB preference and intake were initially low in both sP and sNP rats; however, after approximately 10 days, GHB preference and intake in sP rats rose progressively and then stabilized to significantly higher levels than in sNP rats throughout the entire free-choice phase. It is likely that episodic binges of GHB intake occurring during the first 10 days resulted in experiencing the reinforcing properties of GHB by sP but not sNP rats. The results of the present study suggest that a) sP rats are genetically more sensitive to the reinforcing effects of both ethanol and GHB than sNP rats; and b) disclosure of the higher sensitivity of sP rats to the reinforcing effects of GHB is a function of the length of the induction procedure. The results are also discussed in terms of differences in GHB receptors contributing to the predisposition to ethanol preference and avoidance, respectively.

Establishing orally self-administered cocaine as a reinforcer in rats using home-cage pre-exposure

1. Rats were force-exposed to a cocaine + saccharin solution in their home cage water bottles for five days. They were then given 5 h home-cage access to both cocaine and cocaine-free solutions for 40 days. 2. The subjects consumed large doses of the cocaine solution despite the ad libitum availability of water. 3. The animals were then trained on a task consisting of operant bar pressing rewarded on an intermittent schedule with a liquid cocaine reinforcer. 4. All subjects performed the operant task and consumed doses of cocaine solution which are preferred over water in other paradigms. 5. Levels of responding were significantly reduced in three of four subjects when vehicle was substituted for liquid cocaine as the reward. 6. This demonstrates that orally self-administered cocaine can be used as a reinforcer in rats.

Ethanol and cocaine intake by rats selectively bred for oral opioid acceptance

Lines which accept or reject the potent opioid etonitazene, and a randomly bred control line, were assessed for the specificity of selective breeding. Drug-naive subjects from generation 8 were offered a continuous choice between water and 10% ethanol for 20 days. There was no difference between the accepting and rejecting lines in preference for one fluid, or in amount of ethanol consumed. The same rats were then given a choice between water and increasing concentrations (0.08-0.64 mg/ml) of cocaine, 7 days at each concentration. There were no differences among the lines in preference for the drug, but the rejecting line drank more of the cocaine solution than the accepting line. Finally, these rats were subjected to the regimen used in choosing rats for selective breeding, 4 days of a water-etonitazene choice. In their preference for etonitazene the order of the lines was as expected: accepting > control > rejecting. In addition, the accepting line drank more of the etonitazene solution than the other two lines. These data suggest that selection has been rather specific and not for a generalized tendency to become intoxicated.

The effects of alcohol history on the reinforcing, subjective and psychomotor effects of nitrous oxide in healthy volunteers

The purpose of this study was to characterize the reinforcing, subjective and psychomotor effects of nitrous oxide in healthy volunteers with different alcohol histories. Subjects were divided into two groups: light drinkers (n = 9) and moderate drinkers (n = 10). A choice procedure was used in which subjects first sampled placebo and a given concentration of nitrous oxide, and then chose between the two. Nitrous oxide concentration varied across the four-session experiment from 10-40%. Besides choice, subjective and psychomotor effects served as dependent measures. The majority of subjective effects of nitrous oxide, and its psychomotor-impairing effects, did not vary as a function of drinking group. However, a Wilcoxon rank sum test showed that the median number of times moderate drinkers chose nitrous oxide (three) was significantly higher than the median number of times light drinkers chose nitrous oxide (one). This study provides suggestive evidence that the reinforcing effects of nitrous oxide are modulated by alcohol history.

A murine model of prenatal cocaine exposure: effects on the mother and the fetus

To develop and characterize a murine model for investigating the long-term effects of prenatal cocaine exposure, the present study established the route of drug administration and the doses to be used for pregnant C57BL/6 mice. Comparison of the effects of a high dose of cocaine (60 mg/kg) when gavaged or injected subcutaneously (SC) established patterns of pathology characteristic of administration route but no dominating logic for selecting one over the other route for prenatal studies; however, because of the fourfold greater brain levels, with no evidence of greater pathology, the SC route was selected. When injected daily during gestation days 12-18, the period of prenatal development of dopamine systems, cocaine at doses producing plasma concentrations consistent with its stimulatory effects reduced food ingestion and weight gains during pregnancy and fetal body and brain weights at term. The extent of these reductions was comparable to reports on babies exposed to cocaine prenatally. Furthermore, the present study suggests that maternal undernutrition is not a likely mediator of these perinatal effects and that differences in the amount of cocaine exposure may cause the contrasting effects of maternal cocaine noted in the human literature.

Self-administration of ethanol: towards the location of predisposing polygenes in quasi-congenic animal models

Alcohol consumption by C57BL/6By background and BALB/cJ donor strains, and by two recently developed quasi-congenic QTL-introgression strains, which share about 96% of their genes with the background strain, was studied in a limited access paradigm. Alcohol and water were offered for 60 min per day using modified pipettes on a drinking cage. Increasing concentration of alcohol solutions, 3, 6, and 12%, were given for days 1-7, 8-14, and 15-22, respectively. Consumption of the 12% alcohol solution was highest in C57BL/6By (0.72 g/kg/h), lowest in BALB/cJ (0.14 g/kg/h). The B6.Cb4i5 beta 13 quasi-congenic strain, in spite of its genetic similarity to the C57BL/6By background strain, consumed significantly less alcohol (0.41 g/kg/h) than the background strain. The results suggest that polygenes that reduce alcohol consumption were introgressed from the BALB/cJ donor strain into the C57BL/6By background strain, and that the b4i5 series of the B6.C quasi-congenic QTL-introgression strains may be useful in mapping genes that influence alcohol-related behaviors. Locations of the introgressed candidate polygenes were tentatively identified by analyzing microsatellite maps of two of the quasi-congenic strains.

Acute sensitivity vs. context-specific sensitization to cocaine as a function of genotype

Individual variability in the acute and chronic effects of psychomotor stimulants is due, in part, to genetic factors. The purpose of this series of studies was to utilize a behavioral model of sensitization, namely increased locomotor activity, to assess individual variability in sensitization to the chronic effects of cocaine and its relationship to the acute stimulant effects of cocaine. Because the degree of sensitization is proportional to the training dose, genetic differences in acute sensitivity to cocaine were assessed and incorporated into the sensitization paradigm. Acute sensitivity and context-dependent sensitization were determined in six inbred mouse strains. Large quantitative and qualitative differences were found in the acute potency and efficacy of cocaine to stimulate locomotor activity. The ED50 was higher in the strains in which cocaine was most efficacious. Context-specific sensitization was determined via chronic administration of equiactive doses of cocaine (ED50) specifically paired with the test apparatus or with the home colony. Sensitization was time, environment, and genotype dependent. The differences in the number of trials required to show sensitization were unrelated to the acute locomotor stimulant effects of cocaine. These findings suggest that acute cocaine-induced locomotor activity and context-specific sensitization reflect different pharmacological properties of cocaine.

A review of the effects of dopaminergic agents on humans, animals, and drug-seeking behavior, and its implications for medication development. Focus on GBR 12909

Medication development for cocaine abuse has focused on potential mechanisms of action related to the abuse of cocaine. The hypothesis that mesolimbic dopamine (DA) is the key neurochemical mediator of cocaine's addictive and reinforcing effects is well supported by a wide variety of data from animal studies. On the other hand, medications that increase DA or block its action in humans can produce effects that appear incompatible with this hypothesis. This article reviews these incompatibilities between animal and human data with a focus on the DAergic actions of drugs, including DA reuptake inhibitors, direct DA agonists, DA increasers, and DA antagonists. Possible reasons for these discrepancies are discussed, and the potential role of high-affinity DA uptake inhibitors, such as GBR12909, for pharmacotherapies for treating cocaine addiction in humans is likely to come from understanding its mechanisms of action, it is clear that further research on the effects of cocaine in humans and animals will be critical to the medication development effort.

Intravenous cocaine self-administration in the C57BL/6J mouse

Freely behaving C57BL/6J mice with intrajugular catheters were trained to nose-poke for cocaine (0.75 mg/kg per 5-microliters infusion) under a fixed-ratio-10 schedule of reinforcement. Mice were given a choice between two nose-poke holes on opposite sides of the apparatus. Nose-pokes by experimental (O) subjects (operant group) were reinforced on only one side and reinforcer delivery coincided with the onset of a 10-s time-out light stimulus. Drug delivery to control subjects (yoked group) was determined by the behavior of O mice. Nose-poke rate increased in O subjects, whereas yoked subjects did not acquire the nose-poking response. Moreover, nose-poking was selective for the cocaine-paired side in O subjects. When saline infusions were substituted for cocaine (i.e., extinction), nose-poking in O subjects decreased, whereas yoked controls were unaffected. O subjects developed a preference for the drug-associated side of the apparatus during extinction. Overall, these data offer strong evidence of cocaine-directed behavior in the C57BL/6 inbred mouse strain. More generally, these findings support the feasibility of using intravenous self-administration to assess reinforcement in genetically well-defined populations.

Ethanol, nicotine, amphetamine, and aspartame consumption and preferences in C57BL/6 and DBA/2 mice

Using a two-bottle choice paradigm, adult C57BL/6 and DBA/2 mice (11 males an 10 females per strain) were given access to tapwater and an ascending series of concentrations of ethanol, nicotine, amphetamine, and th artificial sweetener, aspartame. The C57 mice consumed more ethanol, nicotine, and amphetamine, and showed greater preferences for these substances, than did the DBA/2 mice. In contrast, DBAs consumed more and showed greater preference for aspartame than C57s. However, measures of drug and aspartame consumption and preference were moderately intercorrelated when the effects of gender and strain were controlled for. This pattern of results suggests that factors modulating differences between C57BL/6 and DBA/2 mice in ethanol consumption and preference also modulate differences in consumption of nicotine and amphetamine.

Oral self-administration of etonitazene in rhesus monkeys: use of a fading procedure to establish etonitazene as a reinforcer

The establishment of orally delivered etonitazene (a potent opioid) as a reinforcer, was studied in eight rhesus monkeys. Initially, when given concurrent access to 2.5 micrograms/ml etonitazene and the water vehicle, five of the monkeys rejected the drug, whereas the other three monkeys consumed more drug solution than water. The five monkeys that rejected the drug solution underwent an acquisition phase to establish the drug as a reinforcer. A fading procedure was used to transfer control of responding from a 2% (wt/vol) ethanol solution to a 2.5 micrograms/ml etonitazene solution. Initially, responding was maintained by contingent deliveries of 2% ethanol. Next, across blocks of six or more sessions, increasing amounts of etonitazene were added in steps to the 2% ethanol solution. Subsequently, the 2% ethanol solution was decreased in steps to zero, leaving only the 2.5 micrograms/ml etonitazene present. When the fading procedure was completed, dose of etonitazene was varied by increasing the volume delivered, first under fixed ratio (FR 4) and then under an FR 8 reinforcement schedule. The same dose manipulations were made with the three monkeys who did not undergo the fading procedure because they preferred etonitazene over water when first tested. Etonitazene was established as a reinforcer for six of the eight monkeys because drug deliveries exceeded vehicle deliveries across a range of drug doses.

Relative reinforcing effects of different doses of orally delivered cocaine

The relative reinforcing effects of different doses of oral cocaine were investigated in two adult male rhesus monkeys. In the first experiment, a range of cocaine doses (0.1-0.8 mg/ml) was studied with drug and water concurrently available for 3 h each day under identical and independent fixed-ratio schedules. The side positions of the drug and vehicle were alternated from session to session. Drug deliveries always exceeded vehicle deliveries, i.e., orally delivered cocaine functioned as a reinforcer. The highest rates of responding occurred at either the lowest or next to lowest dose (0.1 or 0.2 mg/ml). In the second experiment, pairs of different cocaine doses were systematically presented under identical and independent fixed-ratio schedules. The higher of two concurrently available doses usually maintained the higher response rate. These findings suggest that the relative reinforcing effects of orally delivered cocaine increase with dose. Absolute response rates obtained with single cocaine doses and water concurrently available do not always reflect the magnitude of the reinforcing effects indicated when pairs of cocaine doses are studied together. The results of this study are in agreement with earlier investigations in which the relative reinforcing effects of pairs of intravenous cocaine doses or oral pentobarbital doses were studied. Taken together these findings indicate that, over a range of doses and across pharmacological classes and routes of administration, relative reinforcing effects of a drug increase directly as a function of increases in dose.

Strain differences in the rewarding and dopamine-releasing effects of morphine in rats

Studies examining differential sensitivity to psychoactive drugs in mice suggest that genotype may play a critical role. Furthermore, an involvement of genotype in mediating individual differences in sensitivity to the rewarding effects of several drugs of abuse has also been postulated. The aim of this study was to examine the conditioned rewarding and dopamine-releasing effects of morphine in two outbred rat strains commonly used in addiction research. Additionally, the behavioural and neuroendocrine responses of these strains to the stress of novelty were also examined. Basal locomotor activity was higher in Wistar rats than Sprague-Dawley following exposure to a novel environment. In contrast, elevations in plasma corticosteroid levels following novelty exposure did not differ between the two strains. In a counterbalanced place preference conditioning procedure, increasing doses of morphine (1.0-10.0 mg/kg SC) produced significant conditioned place preferences (CPP) in both Wistar and Sprague-Dawley strains. However, Wistar rats required a significantly larger dose of morphine (5.0 mg/kg) to produce a significant CPP than the Sprague-Dawley rats. In the latter strain, CPP occurred with doses of 3.0 mg/kg and greater. In parallel microdialysis experiments, both strains showed significant dose-related increases in dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens following acute morphine challenge (1.0-10.0 mg/kg SC). Again in Wistar rats, a larger dose of morphine was necessary to produce a significant increase in comparison to Sprague-Dawley rats. These results show that genetically distinct rat strains can show differential sensitivity to opioids, more specifically to drug-seeking responses.

Opioid operant self-administration, analgesia, stimulation and respiratory depression in mu-deficient mice

It is commonly thought that mu-receptors play an important role in the reinforcing effects of opioids. In the present study, inbred strains widely divergent in CNS opiate receptor densities were used to investigate the influence of genetic variation in receptor concentration on opioid-reinforced behavior. In particular, the CXBK/ByJ mice were used as an investigative tool because of their significantly lower number of CNS mu opioid receptors. The behavioral pharmacology of opioids in the mu-deficient CXBK/ByJ mice was compared to other commonly used inbred mouse strains, C57BL/6J and BALB/cJ, and the opiate receptor rich CXBH/ByJ mice. Operant opioid reinforced behavior, opioid-induced locomotor stimulation, analgesia and respiratory depression were investigated in all four inbred strains. To assess the acquisition and maintenance of opioid reinforced behavior, oral self-administration of the potent benzimidazole opioid, etonitazene, was determined using an operant fixed-ratio schedule of reinforcement (FR 8). Acquisition of etonitazene-reinforced behavior was established in all four strains including the mu-deficient CXBK/ByJ mice. However, there were significant genetic differences in the amount of drug intake during the maintenance of opioid-reinforced behavior and extinction behavior following vehicle substitution. For example, drug intake was significantly greater in the BK versus BH mice during the maintenance phase and an extinction burst was seen in the BH but not the BK mice following vehicle substitution. Thus, mu-receptor density may not account for individual variability in the acquisition of opioid-reinforced behavior under these conditions. Sensitivity to etonitazene-induced respiratory depression, stimulation of locomotor activity and analgesia were unrelated to drug intake during self-administration sessions across these four inbred strains.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Quantitative trait loci mapping of three loci controlling morphine preference using inbred mouse strains

Quantitative trait loci mapping was used to identify the chromosomal location of genes which contribute to oral morphine preference (in a two-bottle choice paradigm) of C57BL/6J mice, compared to DBA/2J mice. An F2 intercross of these two strains (606 mice) was phenotyped for morphine preference and those mice demonstrating extreme values for morphine consumption (the highest and lowest 7.7%) were genotyped for 157 murine microsatellite polymorphisms. Maximum likelihood methods revealed three loci on murine chromosomes 1, 6 and 10 which are responsible for nearly 85% of the genetic variance observed between the two parental strains.

Ibogaine reduces preference for cocaine consumption in C57BL/6By mice

After a period of forced exposure to 300 mg/l cocaine HCl in drinking water for a period of one week, followed by forced exposure to 200 mg/l cocaine for an additional week, male C57BL/6By mice developed a preference for cocaine when given a choice of drinking either water or a solution containing cocaine (200 mg/l). The mean daily intake of cocaine during the choice period was 26 +/- 1 mg/kg or, when expressed as the ratio of cocaine over total fluid intake, represented a cocaine preference of 71 +/- 2%. Administration of ibogaine HCl (40 mg/kg, two injections 6 h apart) two weeks after the beginning of the choice period reduced the cocaine preference for at least five days; the mean daily intake of cocaine was reduced by 38% (to 16 +/- 1 mg/kg per day; p < 0.05) and cocaine preference was reduced to 41 +/- 2% (cocaine fluid consumption/total fluid intake). An acute challenge injection of cocaine (25 mg/kg SC) produced a significant increase in cocaine-induced locomotor activity and stereotypy in mice previously exposed to cocaine in their drinking water (cocaine choice group). Five days after ibogaine administration, locomotor and stereotypy activity were significantly lower after a challenge injection of cocaine (25 mg/kg SC). Brain levels of cocaine 35 min after the challenge injection of cocaine were approximately 25% higher in ibogaine-treated mice (7.2 +/- 0.5 and 9.3 +/- 0.8 micrograms/g wet wt for water vs. mice treated with water plus ibogaine and 9.3 +/- 0.2 and 11.8 +/- 0.7 micrograms/g wet wt for cocaine drinking vs. cocaine drinking plus ibogaine treatment).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Effect of stress on oral fentanyl consumption in rats in an operant self-administration paradigm

The effect of intermittent footshock stress (0.8 mA; 0.2 s on; 40 s off on the average; for 10 min/day) on oral fentanyl (50 or 75 micrograms/ml) self-administration (SA) in operant chambers was examined in male rats. In Experiment 1, after 1 month of initiation of the fentanyl SA by partial water deprivation, animals were tested for lever-pressing for fentanyl (75 micrograms/ml) under fixed-ratio-4 (FR-4) and progressive-ratio (PR) schedules of reinforcement for 30 min/day in operant chambers. Exposure to footshock stress increased fentanyl SA under the FR-4 and PR schedules compared with a nonstress condition. When water was substituted for the drug, the operant behavior persisted before extinction. In Experiment 2, different rats were tested for lever-pressing for fentanyl (50 micrograms/ml) under FR-6 and PR schedules. This experiment further assessed the role of taste in the stress-induced fentanyl SA and examined the effect of increasing the schedule requirements (i.e., FR-3, 6, and 12) on lever-pressing for fentanyl. Exposure to footshock stress increased lever-pressing for oral fentanyl SA under the FR schedules of reinforcement. When a quinine solution (30 micrograms/ml), matched for bitter taste with the fentanyl solution, was substituted for the drug solution, an extinction of the drug-reinforced behavior occurred, indicating that the stress-induced oral fentanyl SA is not related to stress-induced changes in taste sensitivity. In both experiments, no significant stress effects were observed for water consumption in home cage and lever-pressing on the nonoperative lever.

Strain and housing affect cocaine self-selection and open-field locomotor activity in mice

We recently conducted an experiment to investigate the possible cooperation between genetic makeup and differential housing on cocaine self-administration in male and female C57BL/6J and DBA/2J mice. Cocaine self-selection was measured in a two-choice test with one choice being cocaine-HCl solution of 40 mg% in tap water and the other choice being plain tap water. Housing conditions began at weaning (21-23 days of age) and consisted of group housed (GH) with 2-3 mice per cage, and isolated housed (IH) with 1 mouse per cage. The results of this study revealed overall strain, sex and housing differences, with C57BL/6Js consuming more cocaine solution than DBA/2J subjects, females consuming more cocaine solution than males, and group housed consuming more than isolate housed subjects. In a second study, the effect of differential housing on open-field locomotor activity was investigated. Testing was conducted on two consecutive days, with subjects receiving an IP injection of saline on day 1, and 15 mg/kg cocaine HCl on day 2. Four behaviors were recorded, including: total distance, nosepokes, stereotypy, and margin time. Overall, the results revealed significant strain differences for stereotypy and nosepokes, and males were found to be more activated by cocaine than females. Additionally, DBA males tended to be differentially affected by housing condition, with IH showing suppressed locomotor activity as compared to GH subjects. Last, significant strain by housing interactions occurred in nosepokes and stereotypy time.

Water deprivation-induced oral self-administration of cocaine in the Lewis rat: evidence for locomotor effects but not reinforcement

Oral cocaine self-administration was studied in water-deprived Lewis rats. Liquid was available to rats only during daily 90-min sessions, in chambers equipped with spouts that delivered precise volumes of liquid following completion of lever-press responses. Blocks of training and testing sessions were alternately carried out during which increasing cocaine concentrations were presented: 0.0, 0.0125, 0.025, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.282, and 0.4 mg/ml. Although high cocaine intakes (23.3-33.0 mg/kg) were obtained, neither avoidance nor preference for cocaine developed. Subsequently, fixed-ratio size was increased, and then distinctive stimulus lights were correlated with each liquid. One rat showed a preference for water following these changes, but two rats continued to show no preference. To determine if the amounts of cocaine self-administered had behavioral effects, locomotor activity tests were run immediately following self-administration sessions. Locomotor activity was substantially higher following cocaine self-administration than following water self-administration. These results demonstrate that the cocaine intakes reached under the present conditions did produce locomotor, but not reinforcing, effects.

Genetic models in the study of alcoholism and substance abuse mechanisms

1. Vulnerability to substance abuse is an important emerging issue. Some related factors are the relationship between propensity to self-administer a drug and neurosensitivity to that drug; similarities and differences between various models of drug seeking behavior; and the commonality of drug-seeking behavior across drugs and genotypes, that is, whether reinforcement from and abuse of alcohol and other drugs define variations within a single behavioral phenomenon, or whether reinforcement and abuse must be individually defined for each substance involved. 2. Findings related to these issues are now being obtained from the areas of pharmacogenetics and operant drug self-administration. 3. The results indicate that reinforcement from alcohol and other drugs is only moderately related to preference for alcohol and other drugs. In addition, neurosensitivity to drugs appears to have little influence on whether that drug will come to serve as a positive reinforcer for any given individual or animal. Indeed, the critical factor appears to be the individual organism's innate propensity to find a particular drug reinforcing. 4. Initial findings also show that genotypic patterns of reinforcement from ethanol appear to correlate highly with patterns of reinforcement from cocaine and opiates. 5. From these findings it is concluded that there exist important genetic determinants of drug reinforced behavior; reinforcement is an important and independent effect of several psychoactive drugs; and drug seeking behaviors maintained by ethanol, cocaine and opiates may have at least some common biological determinants.

Orally self-administered cocaine in rhesus monkeys: transition from negative or neutral behavioral effects to positive reinforcing effects

The establishment of orally delivered cocaine as a reinforcer was examined with nine rhesus monkeys. A 2% ethanol solution served as a reinforcer for all nine monkeys, for it maintained substantially higher response rates than did the concurrently available water vehicle. A test was initially conducted to determine whether cocaine would function as a reinforcer when substituted for 2% ethanol. When an intermediate cocaine concentration (0.2 mg/ml) was substituted for the ethanol solution, the drug maintained behavior at rates less than (seven monkeys), equal to (one monkey), or greater than (one monkey) those maintained by water. Thus, for eight of nine monkeys simple substitution of cocaine for ethanol was not sufficient to establish orally delivered cocaine as a reinforcer. In the next phase a stimulus-fading procedure was used. Blocks of training and testing sessions alternated. Across blocks of training sessions, increasing amounts of cocaine (0.0125, 0.025, 0.05, 0.1 mg/ml) were added to the 2% ethanol solution and subsequently the ethanol concentration was gradually decreased until only the 0.1 mg/ml cocaine solution remained; water was always concurrently available. Between each block of training sessions, a block of test sessions was inserted. Test sessions compared relative rates of responding maintained by two concurrently available drug solutions: (1) a solution containing the combination of ethanol and cocaine used in the prior training block and (2) a solution containing the same concentration of ethanol but with no cocaine. Thus, differences in rates of behavior maintained by the two solutions could be attributed to the presence of cocaine and the existence and degree of any such differences could be monitored at each step in the acquisition procedure. The outcome of the training procedure was that cocaine came to function as a reinforcer for six of the eight monkeys tested (the ninth monkey was not put through the fading procedure, having shown higher cocaine than vehicle rates during the initial substitution procedure). During the phase when ethanol was faded from the drug solution, differences between the combination cocaine-ethanol solution and the ethanol-only solution emerged: for the six monkeys that developed cocaine reinforced behavior, the combination solution maintained higher rates of responding than the ethanol solution alone. The opposite results were obtained with the remaining two monkeys. That cocaine had been established as a reinforcer was confirmed by persistent and orderly responding when dose and fixed-ratio size were subsequently varied.

Oral etonitazene and cocaine consumption by AA, ANA and Wistar rats

It has been previously suggested that drug-seeking behavior maintained by alcohol, opioids, and cocaine may have some common genetic determinants. Therefore, the present study examined the intake of etonitazene, a potent opioid agonist, and cocaine by alcohol-preferring AA (Alko, Alcohol), alcohol-avoiding ANA (Alko, Non-alcohol), and Wistar rats in a two-bottle choice test. The animals, housed in single cages, were given a choice between tap water and ascending concentrations of etonitazene (0.5, 1.0, 2.0, and 4.0 micrograms/ml) or cocaine (0.2, 0.4, 0.8, and 1.6 mg/ml) solutions prepared in water. Finally, to assess the sensitivity to bitter taste by these strains, a quinine preference test with ascending quinine concentrations was conducted. The clearest line differences were found with etonitazene: at all concentrations, the AAs consumed significantly more etonitazene than the ANAs and Wistars that showed no differences. The highest etonitazene intake by the AAs, 181 micrograms/kg/day at the concentration of 4.0 micrograms/kg, produced apparent signs of opioid intoxication and withdrawal. The AAs also drank more cocaine solution than the other lines. Since, however, the pattern of cocaine intake as a function of concentration resembled that with quinine, the line differences in cocaine consumption may partly be accounted for by the differential sensitivity to bitter taste by the lines. In contrast, the marked line differences in the intake of the etonitazene solutions, which had only a slightly bitter taste, seem more likely to have been produced by the post-ingestional effects of the opioid.

Oral cocaine self-administration: relation of locomotor activity to pharmacokinetics

Rats were exposed to daily schedule-induced polydipsia sessions in which solutions of cocaine HCl were available. Both cocaine solution concentration (0.08-0.32 mg/ml) and session duration (0.25-3 h) were varied to determine their effects on locomotor activity rate. Additional animals were used to determine the effect of session length on serum cocaine and metabolite levels when drinking 0.32 mg/ml cocaine solution. Changes in locomotor activity rate were related to serum cocaine concentration by a linear concentration-effect model. By estimation from the linear model, the serum cocaine concentration threshold for increasing locomotor activity was about 0.01 microgram/ml. Under these schedule-induction conditions, there was no evidence for the development of acute tolerance to the locomotor-stimulating activity of cocaine.