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Reversal of cocaine‐conditioned place preference and mesocorticolimbic Zif268 expression by social interaction in rats
Author(s) -
Fritz Michael,
El Rawas Rana,
Salti Ahmad,
Klement Sabine,
Bardo Michael T.,
Kemmler Georg,
Dechant Georg,
Saria Alois,
Zernig Gerald
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
addiction biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.445
H-Index - 78
eISSN - 1369-1600
pISSN - 1355-6215
DOI - 10.1111/j.1369-1600.2010.00285.x
Subject(s) - conditioned place preference , nucleus accumbens , basolateral amygdala , ventral tegmental area , psychology , neuroscience , addiction , incentive salience , stimulus (psychology) , reinforcement , social relation , central nucleus of the amygdala , amygdala , amphetamine , central nervous system , cognitive psychology , dopamine , social psychology , dopaminergic
Little is known how social interaction, if offered as an alternative to drug consumption, affects neural circuits involved in drug reinforcement and substance dependence. Conditioned place preference (CPP) for cocaine (15 mg/kg i.p.) or social interaction (15 minutes) as an alternative stimulus was investigated in male Sprague‐Dawley rats. Four social interaction episodes with a male adult conspecific completely reversed cocaine CPP and were even able to prevent reacquisition of cocaine CPP. Social interaction also reversed cocaine CPP‐induced expression of the immediate‐early gene zif268 in the nucleus accumbens shell, the central and basolateral amygdala and the ventral tegmental area. These findings suggest that social interaction, if offered in a context that is clearly distinct from the previously drug‐associated ones, may profoundly decrease the incentive salience of drug‐associated contextual stimuli. The novel experimental design facilitates the neurobiological investigation of this phenomenon which may be beneficial for human drug users in treatment.