Maladaptive choices by defeated rats: link between rapid approach to social threat and escalated cocaine self-administration.

ABSTRACT:

Rationale

Intermittent social defeat stress engenders persistent neuroadaptations and can result in later increased cocaine taking and seeking. However, there are individual differences in stress-escalated cocaine self-administration behavior, which may be a direct result of individual differences in the manner in which rats experience social defeat stress.

Objective

The present study dissected the discrete behavioral phases of social defeat and analyzed which behavioral characteristics may be predictive of subsequent cocaine self-administration.

Methods

Male Long-Evans rats underwent nine intermittent social defeat episodes over 21 days in a three-compartment apparatus permitting approach to and escape from a confrontation with an aggressive resident rat. Rats then s

SUBMITTER: Boyson CO 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4990818 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature