Stimulus control of cocaine self-administration
by
Weiss SJ, Kearns DN, Cohn SI, Schindler CW, Panlilio LV.
Department of Psychology, American University,
Washington, DC 20016, USA.
[email protected]
J Exp Anal Behav 2003 Jan;79(1):111-35


ABSTRACT

Environmental stimuli that set the occasion wherein drugs are acquired can "trigger" drug-related behavior. Investigating the stimulus control of drug self-administration in laboratory animals should help us better understand this aspect of human drug abuse. Stimulus control of cocaine self-administration was generated here for the first time using multiple and chained schedules with short, frequently-alternating components--like those typically used to study food-maintained responding. The procedures and results are presented along with case histories to illustrate the strategies used to produce this stimulus control. All these multicomponent schedules contained variable-interval (VI) components as well as differential-reinforcement-of-other-behavior (DRO) or extinction components. Schedule parameters and unit dose were adjusted for each rat to produce stable, moderate rates in VI components, with minimal postreinforcement (infusion) pausing, and response cessation in extinction and DRO components. Whole-body drug levels on terminal baselines calculated retrospectively revealed that all rats maintained fairly stable drug levels (mean, 2.3 to 3.4 mg/kg) and molar rates of intake (approximately 6.0 mg/kg/hr). Within this range, no relation between local VI response rates and drug level was found. The stimulus control revealed in cumulative records was indistinguishable from that achieved with food under these schedules, suggesting that common mechanisms may underlie the control of cocaine- and food-maintained behavior.


Users
History
Twin study
Mu and kappa
Quails on coke
Crack and crime
Drug education?
Prenatal cocaine
Dopaminergic flies?
Dopaminergic agents
Coca leaves/cocaine
Cocaine immunization
The coke-craving brain
Cocaine and methylphenidate
Cocaine, dopamine, noradrenaline and serotonin
Sigma antagonists in the treatment of cocaine addiction
Do sigma1 agonists like igmesine make cocaine more rewarding?

01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12
13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24


Refs
HOME
HedWeb
cannabis-marijuana.com
Future Opioids
BLTC Research
Wirehead Hedonism
Paradise-Engineering
Utopian Pharmacology
The Hedonistic Imperative
When Is It Best to Take Crack Cocaine?

swan image
The Good Drug Guide
The Responsible Parent's Guide To
Healthy Mood Boosters For All The Family