Effect of chemogenetic inhibition of lateral habenula neuronal activity on cocaine- and food-seeking behaviors in the rat.

ABSTRACT: A major problem in the treatment of cocaine addiction is high rates of relapse. Relapse is often provoked by acute reexposure to cocaine-associated cues or to cocaine itself. The lateral habenula (LHb), an epithalamic nucleus, regulates midbrain dopaminergic systems that are known to be involved in cocaine taking and seeking behaviors. However, the role of this nucleus in cocaine self-administration and reinstatement of cocaine seeking has not been entirely parsed out. We used an operant self-administration and reinstatement procedure to explore the effect of Designer Receptors Exclusively Activated by Designer Drug (DREADD)-induced transient inhibition of LHb neurons on cocaine taking and seeking. Firstly, rats were injected with adeno-associated viral vectors expressing hM₄ D<

SUBMITTER: Nair SG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10441005 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature