A Novel Assay Allowing Drug Self-Administration, Extinction, and Reinstatement Testing in Head-Restrained Mice.

ABSTRACT: Multiphoton microscopy is one of several new technologies providing unprecedented insight into the activity dynamics and function of neural circuits. Unfortunately, some of these technologies require experimentation in head-restrained animals, limiting the behavioral repertoire that can be integrated and studied. This issue is especially evident in drug addiction research, as no laboratories have coupled multiphoton microscopy with simultaneous intravenous drug self-administration, a behavioral paradigm that has predictive validity for treatment outcomes and abuse liability. Here, we describe a new experimental assay wherein head-restrained mice will press an active lever, but not inactive lever, for intravenous delivery of heroin or cocaine. Similar to freely moving animals, we find that

SUBMITTER: Vollmer KM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8585999 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature