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Background Cue-induced methamphetamine craving increases after prolonged forced (experimenter-imposed) abstinence from the drug (incubation of methamphetamine craving). Here, we determined whether this incubation phenomenon would occur under conditions that promote voluntary (self-imposed) abstinence. We also determined the effect of the novel metabotropic glutamate receptor 2 positive allosteric modulator, AZD8529, on incubation of methamphetamine craving after forced or voluntary abstinence. Methods We trained rats to self-administer palatable food (6 sessions) and then to self-administer methamphetamine under two conditions: 12 sessions (9 hours/day) or 50 sessions (3 hours/day). We then assessed cue-induced methamphetamine seeking in extinction tests after 1 or 21 abstinence days. Between tests, the rats underwent either forced abstinence (no access to the food- or drug-paired levers) or voluntary abstinence (achieved via a discrete choice procedure between methamphetamine and palatable food; 20 trials per day) for 19 days. We also determined the effect of subcutaneous injections of AZD8529 (20 and 40 mg/kg) on cue-induced methamphetamine seeking 1 day or 21 days after forced or voluntary abstinence. Results Under both training and abstinence conditions, cue-induced methamphetamine seeking in the extinction tests was higher after 21 abstinence days than after 1 day (incubation of methamphetamine craving). AZD8529 decreased cue-induced methamphetamine seeking on day 21 but not day 1 of forced or voluntary abstinence. Conclusions We introduce a novel animal model to study incubation of drug craving and cue-induced drug seeking after prolonged voluntary abstinence, mimicking the human condition of relapse after successful contingency management treatment. Our data suggest that positive allosteric modulators of metabotropic glutamate receptor 2 should be considered for relapse prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies have shown that when given a mutually exclusive choice between cocaine and palatable foods, most rats prefer the non-drug rewards over cocaine. Here, we used a discrete choice procedure to assess whether palatable food preference generalizes to rats with a history of limited (3 hours/day) or extended (6 or 9 hours/day) access to methamphetamine self-administration. On different daily sessions, we trained rats to lever-press for either methamphetamine (0.1-0.2 mg/kg/infusion) or palatable food (five pellets per reward delivery) for several weeks; regular food was freely available. We then assessed food-methamphetamine preference either during training, after priming methamphetamine injections (0.5-1.0 mg/kg), following a satiety manipulation (palatable food exposure in the home cage) or after 21 days of withdrawal from methamphetamine. We also assessed progressive ratio responding for palatable food and methamphetamine. We found that independent of the daily drug access conditions and the withdrawal period, the rats strongly preferred the palatable food over methamphetamine, even when they were given free access to the palatable food in the home cage. Intake of methamphetamine and progressive ratio responding for the drug, both of which increased or escalated over time, did not predict preference in the discrete choice test. Results demonstrate that most rats strongly prefer palatable food pellets over intravenous methamphetamine, confirming previous studies using discrete choice procedures with intravenous cocaine. Results also demonstrate that escalation of drug self-administration, a popular model of compulsive drug use, is not associated with a cardinal feature of human addiction of reduced behavioral responding for non-drug rewards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rationale: Acute cocaine administration produces an initial rewarding state followed by a dysphoric/anxiogenic 'crash.' Objective: The objective of this study was to determine whether individual differences in the relative value of cocaine's positive and negative effects would account for variations in subsequent drug self-administration. Methods: The dual actions of cocaine were assessed using a conditioned place test (where animals formed preferences for environments paired with the immediate rewarding effects of 1.0mg/kg i.v. cocaine or aversions of environments associated with the anxiogenic effects present 15-min postinjection) and a runway test (where animals developed approach-avoidance 'retreat' behaviors about entering a goal box associated with cocaine delivery). Ranked scores from these two tests were then correlated with each other and with the escalation in the operant responding of the same subjects observed over 10 days of 1- or 6-h/day access to i.v. (0.4mg/inj) cocaine self-administration. Results: Larger place preferences were associated with faster runway start latencies ( r = −0.64), but not with retreat frequency or run times; larger place aversions predicted slower runway start times ( r = 0.62), increased run times ( r = 0.65), and increased retreats ( r = 0.62); response escalation was observed in both the 1- and 6-h self-administration groups and was associated with increased CPPs ( r = 0.58) but not CPAs, as well as with faster run times ( r = −0.60). Conclusions: Together, these data suggest that animals exhibiting a greater positive than negative response to acute (single daily injections of) cocaine are at the greatest risk for subsequent escalated cocaine self-administration, a presumed indicator of cocaine addiction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports of abuse and toxic effects of synthetic cathinones, frequently sold as 'bath salts' or 'legal highs', have increased dramatically in recent years. One of the most widely used synthetic cathinones is 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone ( MDPV). The current study evaluated the abuse potential of MDPV by assessing its ability to support intravenous self-administration and to lower thresholds for intracranial self-stimulation ( ICSS) in rats. In the first experiment, the rats were trained to intravenously self-administer MDPV in daily 2-hour sessions for 10 days at doses of 0.05, 0.1 or 0.2 mg/kg per infusion. The rats were then allowed to self-administer MDPV under a progressive ratio ( PR) schedule of reinforcement. Next, the rats self-administered MDPV for an additional 10 days under short access ( ShA; 2 hours/day) or long access ( LgA; 6 hours/day) conditions to assess escalation of intake. A separate group of rats underwent the same procedures, with the exception of self-administering methamphetamine (0.05 mg/kg per infusion) instead of MDPV. In the second experiment, the effects of MDPV on ICSS thresholds following acute administration (0.1, 0.5, 1 and 2 mg/kg, i.p.) were assessed. MDPV maintained self-administration across all doses tested. A positive relationship between MDPV dose and breakpoints for reinforcement under PR conditions was observed. LgA conditions led to escalation of drug intake at 0.1 and 0.2 mg/kg doses, and rats self-administering methamphetamine showed similar patterns of escalation. Finally, MDPV significantly lowered ICSS thresholds at all doses tested. Together, these findings indicate that MDPV has reinforcing properties and activates brain reward circuitry, suggesting a potential for abuse and addiction in humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Rationale: Increased appetite and weight gain after cessation are deterrents for quitting smoking. Pharmacotherapies that can reduce this weight gain in ex-smokers would be invaluable, and yet are not well studied in this context. Objective: To examine the effects of extended daily exposure to intravenous cytisine, an alpha4beta2 nAChR partial agonist used for smoking cessation in some European countries, on body weight and patterns of food intake in rats. Methods: In the first experiment, programmed infusions of cytisine were administered over 15h per day. Food intake, meal patterns, and weight change were examined relative to a vehicle-infused group during treatment, and in a post-cytisine phase. The second experiment examined the effects of cytisine on food intake, meal patterns, and weight change when substituted for nicotine in a self-administration protocol. Rats self-administered nicotine and cytisine during alternating four day periods, and changes in body weight, drug infusions, and meal patterns were compared between drugs and during an extinction phase. Results: In the first experiment, cytisine-treated rats ate less and gained less weight than those that received the vehicle. This occurred primarily by a reduced frequency of meals. In the 12day post-cytisine phase, animals maintained a lower body weight relative to controls throughout. In the second experiment, total pellet intake increased during cytisine substitution relative to nicotine and animals self-administered cytisine significantly less than nicotine. However, cytisine substitution maintained decreases in food intake and weight gain compared to baseline via decreases in total pellet intake and meal size. Conclusion: Cytisine administration results in decreased weight gain and changes in meal patterns dependent upon mode and pattern of administration and a previous history of nicotine administration. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Chronic abuse of methamphetamine produces deficits in hippocampal function, perhaps by altering hippocampal neurogenesis and plasticity. We examined how intravenous methamphetamine self-administration modulates active division, proliferation of late progenitors, differentiation, maturation, survival, and mature phenotype of hippocampal subgranular zone (SGZ) progenitors. Methods: Adult male Wistar rats were given access to methamphetamine 1 hour twice weekly (intermittent short), 1 hour daily (short), or 6 hours daily (long). Rats received one intraperitoneal injection of bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) to label progenitors in the synthesis (S) phase, and 28-day-old surviving BrdU-immunoreactive (IR) cells were quantified. Ki-67, doublecortin (DCX), and activated caspase-3 (AC-3) were used to visualize and quantify proliferating, differentiating, maturing, and apoptotic cells. Terminal corticosterone was measured to determine changes in adrenal steroids. Results: Intermittent access to methamphetamine increased Ki-67 and DCX-IR cells, but opposing effects on late progenitors and postmitotic neurons resulted in no overall change in neurogenesis. Daily access to methamphetamine decreased all studied aspects of neurogenesis and reduced hippocampal granule neurons and volume, changes that likely are mediated by decreased proliferative and neurogenic capacity of the SGZ. Furthermore, methamphetamine self-administration relative to the amount of methamphetamine intake produced a biphasic effect on hippocampal apoptosis and reduced corticosterone levels. Conclusions: Intermittent (occasional access) and daily (limited and extended access) self-administration of methamphetamine impact different aspects of neurogenesis, the former producing initial pro-proliferative effects and the latter producing downregulating effects. These findings suggest that altered hippocampal integrity by even modest doses of methamphetamine could account for pronounced pathology linked to methamphetamine abuse. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Rationale. Most nicotine self-administration (NSA) studies in rats are performed under limited-access conditions. Few studies have examined the relationship between nicotine dependence and NSA. Objectives. To determine how NSA access conditions affect NSA and the duration of nicotine dependence during abstinence, as reflected in somatic signs of withdrawal precipitated by administration of the nicotinic receptor antagonist mecamylamine. Methods. The effects of different NSA access conditions (zero, 1 h/5 days, 1 h/7 days and 6 h/7 days per week) and non-contingent nicotine administration on NSA and somatic signs were examined. Results. Daily NSA access (30 days) resulted in spontaneous and mecamylamine-induced somatic signs. Both daily access groups (1 h/day and 6 h/day, 7 days/week) exhibited spontaneous somatic signs on day 25 of NSA (17 h post-NSA) and sensitivity to mecamylamine up to 2 and 4 weeks of abstinence, respectively. In contrast, the 1 h/day, 5 days/week access group exhibited mecamylamine-induced somatic signs only up to 1 week of abstinence. NSA behavior was stable in rats with 1 h/day 5 days/week and 1 h/day 7 days/week access, but decreased from initially high rates in the 6 h/day 7 days/week access group, and decreased in rats receiving non-contingent nicotine. In contrast, extended cocaine self-administration access resulted in a gradual escalation in cocaine intake. Conclusion. There was no escalation in nicotine intake with extended access conditions, unlike cocaine self-administration. Nevertheless, daily nicotine self-administration seven days per week, for either 1 or 6 h per day, was sufficient to induce long-lasting adaptations in nicotinic acetylcholine receptor activity reflected in spontaneous and antagonist-precipitated somatic signs of withdrawal, possibly reflecting aspects of nicotine dependence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]