Cocaine deprivation effect: cue abstinence over weekends boosts anticipatory 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations in rats.

ABSTRACT: In drug dependence studies, rats are often tested daily with short breaks (such as weekends) spent untested in their home cages. Research on alcohol models has suggested that breaks from continuous testing can transiently enhance self-administration (termed the "alcohol deprivation effect"). The present study explored whether the salience of cocaine-access cues is increased after skipping weekend cocaine and cue exposures. Ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) of the 50-kHz class are emitted by rats exposed to intravenous cocaine and have been shown to increase with repeated drug exposure at the same dose level (sensitization). The present study found that over the course of several weeks of cocaine self- or yoked-administration pre-drug cues signaling forthcoming access or delivery of cocaine e

SUBMITTER: Maier EY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3969444 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature