Search results for "Amphetamine"
showing 10 items of 108 documents
The novelty-seeking phenotype modulates the long-lasting effects of intermittent ethanol administration during adolescence.
2013
The aim of the present study was to investigate if a novelty-seeking phenotype mediates the long-lasting consequences of intermittent EtOH intoxication during adolescence. The hole board test was employed to classify adolescent mice as High- or Low-Novelty Seekers. Subsequently, animals were administered ethanol (1.25 or 2.5 g/kg) on two consecutive days at 48-h intervals over a 14-day period. Anxiety levels - measured using the elevated plus maze- spontaneous motor activity and social interaction test were studied 3 weeks later. A different set of mice underwent the same procedure, but received only the 2.5 g/kg dose of ethanol. Three weeks later, in order to induce CPP, the same animals w…
Sex-dependent effects of early maternal deprivation on MDMA-induced conditioned place preference in adolescent rats: Possible neurochemical correlates
2013
Abstract The early neonatal stage constitutes a sensitive period during which exposure to adverse events can increase the risk of neuropsychiatric disorders. Maternal deprivation (MD) is a model of early life stress that induces long-term behavioural and physiological alterations, including susceptibility to different drugs of abuse. In the present study we have used the conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm to address the influence of MD on the rewarding effects of 3,4-methylenedioxymetamphetamine (MDMA) in adolescent animals of both sexes. We have previously observed in adolescent rats that MD induces modifications in the serotonergic and endocannabinoid systems, which play a role i…
Effect of the CB1 cannabinoid agonist WIN 55212-2 on the acquisition and reinstatement of MDMA-induced conditioned place preference in mice
2010
AbstractBackgroundNumerous reports indicate that MDMA users consume other psychoactive drugs, among which cannabis is one of the most common. The aim of the present study was to evaluate, using the conditioned place preference, the effect of the cannabinoid agonist WIN 55,212-2 on the rewarding effects of MDMA in mice.MethodsIn the first experiment adolescent mice were initially conditioned with 1.25, 2.5 or 5 mg/kg of MDMA or 0.1 or 0.5 mg/kg of WIN and subsequently with both drugs. Reinstatement of the extinguished preference by priming doses was performed in the groups that showed CPP. In the second experiment, animals were conditioned with 2.5 or 5 mg/kg of MDMA and, after extinction, r…
Acute blockade of CB1 receptor leads to reinstatement of MDMA-induced conditioned place preference
2011
Cannabis is one of the drugs most commonly consumed in combination with ecstasy (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, MDMA). Although numerous studies have attempted to further our understanding of the role of the cannabinoid system in drug abuse, few have focused on how it influences the rewarding effects of MDMA. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the role of the CB1 cannabinoid receptor in vulnerability to reinstatement of a MDMA-induced conditioned place preference (CPP). Mice were first conditioned with 5mg/kg of MDMA. Once the preference had been extinguished, a priming dose of MDMA, alone or plus the CB1 cannabinoid agonist WIN 55,212-2 (0.1 and 0.5mg/kg) or the CB1 cannabino…
Serotonergic modulation of rat pineal gland activity: in vivo evidence for a 5-Hydroxytryptamine(2C) receptor involvement
2000
There are some suggestions that, in the pineal gland, serotonin acts not only as a precursor of melatonin but also plays a role in the modulation of the pineal biosynthetic activity. To corroborate this possible neuromodulatory role of 5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin) (5-HT) on the pineal gland, the effects of two 5-HT(2) receptor agonists meta-chlorophenylpiperazine (m-CPP) and 1-(2, 5-dimethoxy-4-iodophenyl)-2-aminopropane were assessed in vivo on pineal N-acetyltransferase (NAT) activity and melatonin content in rats. m-CPP potentiated the enhancement of NAT activity and pineal melatonin content induced by isoproterenol administration during daytime, whereas it did not affect the diurnal …
Rewarding effects and reinstatement of MDMA-induced CPP in adolescent mice.
2007
Although the rewarding effects of 3,4-methylenedioxy-metamphetamine (MDMA) have been demonstrated in self-administration and conditioned place preference (CPP) procedures, its addictive potential (ie, the vulnerability to relapse, measured by its ability to induce reinstatement of an extinguished response), remains poorly understood. In this study, the effects of MDMA (5, 10, and 20 mg/kg) on the acquisition, extinction and reinstatement of CPP were evaluated in mice, using two different protocols during acquisition of CPP. In the first experiment, animals were trained using a two-session/day schedule (MDMA and saline for 4 consecutive days), whereas in the second experiment, they were trai…
Mice lacking α-synuclein display functional deficits in the nigrostriatal dopamine system
2000
alpha-Synuclein (alpha-Syn) is a 14 kDa protein of unknown function that has been implicated in the pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease (PD). Here, we show that alpha-Syn-/- mice are viable and fertile, exhibit intact brain architecture, and possess a normal complement of dopaminergic cell bodies, fibers, and synapses. Nigrostriatal terminals of alpha-Syn-/- mice display a standard pattern of dopamine (DA) discharge and reuptake in response to simple electrical stimulation. However, they exhibit an increased release with paired stimuli that can be mimicked by elevated Ca2+. Concurrent with the altered DA release, alpha-Syn-/- mice display a reduction in striatal DA and an attenuation of …
Modifications of head turning and circling movement following sulpiride microinjections into nucleus accumbens in the rat
1995
The aim of this study was to determine whether a relationship exists between nucleus accumbens D2 receptors, circling behavior, and its first stage, the head turning. Rats were unilaterally lesioned in the substantia nigra with 6-hydroxydopamine and afterward treated with d-amphetamine IP following bilateral intraaccumbens microinjections (1, 5, 10 micrograms/0.5 microliters) of sulpiride, a D2 receptor antagonist. Computer-assisted video analysis allowed the study of some parameters (number of turns, type of turn, head turning duration, degree and speed) characterizing rotatory activity. Sulpiride microinfusion resulted in a dose-dependent decrease of the number of turns and head rotation …
Assessment of the abuse potential of MDMA in the conditioned place preference paradigm: Role of CB1 receptors
2013
Numerous reports have highlighted the role of the endocannabinoid system in the addictive potential of MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine). A previous report showed that CB1 knockout (KOCB1) mice do not acquire MDMA self-administration, despite developing conditioned place preference (CPP). This contradiction could be due to the particular procedure of place conditioning used. The present work compares MDMA-induced CPP in KOCB1 mice using unbiased and biased procedures of place conditioning. In the unbiased procedure, MDMA induced CPP and reinstatement of the extinguished preference in wild type (WT) mice, but not in KOCB1 mice. In contrast, in a biased protocol of CPP, MDMA produced …
Cocaine enhances the conditioned rewarding effects of MDMA in adolescent mice.
2015
Although the consumption of cocaine is frequent in young users of MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine), the influence of exposure to cocaine on the rewarding effects of MDMA in adolescents has not been studied. The purpose of the present work was to evaluate the effect of co-administration of cocaine (1 and 10 mg/kg) and a sub-threshold dose of MDMA (1.25 mg/kg) on the acquisition of conditioned place preference (CPP) (experiment 1). In addition, the effect of pre-treatment with cocaine on MDMA-induced CPP was evaluated (experiment 2). Levels of monoamines in striatum, hippocampus and cortex were measured in both experiments. Our hypotheses were that cocaine co-administration or pre-tre…