Responsivity of serotonin transporter knockout rats to short and long access to cocaine: Modulation of the glutamate signalling in the nucleus accumbens shell.

ABSTRACT:

Background and purpose

It has been well established that glutamate in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) plays a critical role in the motivation to take drugs of abuse. We have previously demonstrated that rats with ablation of the serotonin transporter (SERT^-/- rats) show increased cocaine intake reminiscent of compulsivity.

Experimental approach

By comparing SERT^-/- to SERT^+/+ rats, we investigated whether SERT deletion influences glutamate homeostasis under control conditions as well as after short access (ShA: 1 h per session) or long access (LgA: 6 h per session) to cocaine self-administration. Rats were killed at 24 h after the last self-administration session for ex vivo molecular analyses of the main determinants of the glutamate system, inc

SUBMITTER: Caffino L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9310702 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature