Induction and Blockade of Adolescent Cocaine-Induced Habits.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Cocaine use during adolescence increases vulnerability to drug dependence and decreases the likelihood that individuals will seek treatment as adults. Understanding how early-life cocaine exposure influences decision-making processes in adulthood is thus critically important.

Methods

Adolescent or adult mice were exposed to subchronic cocaine, then behavioral sensitivity to changes in the predictive relationship between actions and their consequences was tested. Dendritic spines on the principal pyramidal neurons of the orbitofrontal prefrontal cortex (oPFC) were also imaged and enumerated. To determine whether cytoskeletal regulatory systems in the oPFC influenced decision-making strategies, we then inhibited the activity of Abl family and Rho kinases as well as

SUBMITTER: DePoy LM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5359769 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature