Long access to cocaine self-administration dysregulates the glutamate synapse in the nucleus accumbens core of serotonin transporter knockout rats.

ABSTRACT:

Background and purpose

It is well established that the nucleus accumbens and glutamate play a critical role in the motivation to take drugs of abuse. We have previously demonstrated that rats with ablation of the serotonin (5-HT) transporter (SERT^-/- rats) show increased cocaine intake reminiscent of compulsivity.

Experimental approach

By comparing SERT^-/- to SERT^+/+ rats, we set out to explore whether SERT deletion influences glutamate neurotransmission under control conditions as well as after short access (1 h/session) or long access (6 h/session) to cocaine self-administration.

Key results

Rats were killed at 24 h after the final self-administration session for ex vivo molecular analyses of the glutamate system (vesicular and glial

SUBMITTER: Caffino L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9544393 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature