Elsevier

Neuroscience

Volume 119, Issue 2, 27 June 2003, Pages 497-505
Neuroscience

Neuropharmacology
Manipulation of dopamine d1-like receptor activation in the rat medial prefrontal cortex alters stress- and cocaine-induced reinstatement of conditioned place preference behavior

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0306-4522(03)00078-2Get rights and content

Abstract

These studies examined the ability of the dopamine D1-like agonist SKF 81297 and D1-like antagonist SCH 23390 in the medial prefrontal cortex to alter the reinstatement of cocaine-induced conditioned place preference behavior. Male Sprague–Dawley rats were fitted with bilateral cannulae over the medial prefrontal cortex and subsequently trained in a conditioned place preference task. Animals were trained in this task using four pairings of cocaine (12 mg/kg, i.p.). Conditioned place preference was demonstrated in all animals, and this behavior was then extinguished over a 5–10-day period before testing for reinstatement. Just prior to reinstatement by immobilization stress or a cocaine priming injection (5 mg/kg, i.p.), a microinjection of the D1-like receptor antagonist SCH 23390 (0.01, 0.1 or 1.0 μg/side), or the D1-like receptor agonist SKF 81297 (0.1, 0.3 or 1.0 μg/side) was given into the medial prefrontal cortex. SCH 23390 blocked both stress- and cocaine-induced reinstatement of conditioned place preference after the two higher doses were administered into the medial prefrontal cortex. The highest dose of SKF 81297 (1.0 μg/side) prevented immobilization stress- but not cocaine-induced reinstatement. The highest dose of these drugs given in the absence of stress or cocaine did not produce reinstatement. The results indicate that immobilization stress given within the place-preference chamber is capable of producing reinstatement of cocaine-seeking behavior. The microinjection studies suggest that D1-like receptor antagonism within the prefrontal cortex is sufficient to block reinstatement by stress and cocaine. Furthermore, the results from D1-like receptor activation in the medial prefrontal cortex point to utilization of different neural pathways for stress- and cocaine-induced reinstatement.

Section snippets

Experimental procedures

Experiments were conducted according to the National Institutes of Health Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (1996), and experimental protocols were approved by the University Animal Care and Use Committee. All efforts were made to reduce the distress and the number of animals used. A total of 56 male Sprague–Dawley rats weighing 260–280 g and supplied by Simonsen Laboratories (Gilroy, CA, USA) were used for these experiments. Rats were housed with food and water available ad

Results

The results in Fig. 1 A and B show CPP behavior in animals that were given the D1-like antagonist, SCH 23390, on the reinstatement days. All groups demonstrated a significant place preference for the cocaine-paired side on the test day (compared with the initial preference day). Because the groups differed in the number of days to achieve extinction (5–10 days), only the first 2 and the last 3 days of extinction are shown for each group. Although unexpected, there was a significant interaction

Discussion

There are three main findings from these studies. First, a 15-min immobilization stress administered within the CPP chamber produced reinstatement of cocaine-seeking behavior. Second, intra-mPFC microinjection of the D1-like antagonist, SCH 23390, blocked both stress- and cocaine-induced reinstatement of cocaine-seeking behavior. Third, intra-mPFC microinjection of the D1-like agonist, SKF 81297, produced a dose-dependent blockade of stress- but not cocaine-induced reinstatement of

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to Ms Jenny Baylon for assistance with the manuscript. This work was supported by U.S. Public Health Service Grant DA 11787 (B.A.S.) and a Research Supplement for Underrepresented Minorities, DA 11787 (C.J.S.)

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