Cocaine self-administration improves performance in a highly demanding water maze task

Olmo, Nuria Del; Higuera-Matas, Alejandro; Miguéns, Miguel; García-Lecumberri, Carmen; Ambrosio, Emilio

doi:10.1007/s00213-007-0873-1

Cited by 36 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…2006) demonstrated that cocaine self‐administration affects long‐term potentiating (LTP) but does not notably affect performance in the Morris water maze test. In contrast to these findings, in a different study, results showed an improvement in the rats' performance in a difficult Morris water maze task following cocaine self‐administration (Del Olmo et al . 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 65%

High cocaine dosage decreases neurogenesis in the hippocampus and impairs working memory

Sudai¹,

Croitoru²,

Shaldubina³

et al. 2010

Addiction Biology

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Drug addiction is a chronic brain disorder, characterized by the loss of the ability to control drug consumption. The neurobiology of addiction is traditionally thought to involve the mesocorticolimbic system of the brain. However, the hippocampus has received renewed interest for its potential role in addiction. Part of this attention is because of the fact that drugs of abuse are potent negative regulators of neurogenesis in the adult hippocampus and may as a result impair learning and memory. We investigated the effects of different dosages of contingent cocaine on cell proliferation and neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus and on working memory during abstinence, using the water T-maze test, in adult rats. We found that cocaine, in addition to the changes it produces in the reward system, if taken in high doses, can attenuate the production and development of new neurons in the hippocampus, and reduce working memory.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 65%

High cocaine dosage decreases neurogenesis in the hippocampus and impairs working memory

Sudai¹,

Croitoru²,

Shaldubina³

et al. 2010

Addiction Biology

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show abstract

“…It is important for the acquisition of new learning and for the strengthening of learned associations for later retrieval (Zola-Morgan and Squire 1990; Morris et al 2006). Using either a water maze task of spatial learning (Del Olmo et al 2007) or a radial-arm maze task of spatial learning (Kantak et al 2005), adult rats self-administering cocaine or receiving it passively in a yoked fashion were shown to reach their goal (finding a hidden platform or retrieving all eight rewards) more quickly than saline controls when tested 0.5 to 3 hr after cocaine sessions ended. It is possible that these findings are explained by the psychomotor stimulant effects of cocaine and do not reflect an actual improvement in spatial learning.…”

Section: Neurocognitive Deficits Associated With Abused Substancesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Dose may be a critical factor for observing cocaine-induced improvements or deficits in spatial learning in rats because in the i.v. cocaine studies mentioned above (Del Olmo et al 2007; Kantak et al 2005), the cumulative dose of cocaine was approximately 10 to 15 mg/kg/day, with its i.v. delivery spaced over a 2-hr period.…”

Section: Neurocognitive Deficits Associated With Abused Substancesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cognitive enhancers for facilitating drug cue extinction: Insights from animal models

Dhonnchadha

Kantak

2011

Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior

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Given the success of cue exposure (extinction) therapy combined with a cognitive enhancer for reducing anxiety, it is anticipated that this approach will prove more efficacious than exposure therapy alone in preventing relapse in individuals with substance use disorders. Several factors may undermine the efficacy of exposure therapy for substance use disorders, but we suspect that neurocognitive impairments associated with chronic drug use are an important contributing factor. Numerous insights on these issues are gained from research using animal models of addiction. In this review, the relationship between brain sites whose learning, memory and executive functions are impaired by chronic drug use and brain sites that are important for effective drug cue extinction learning is explored first. This is followed by an overview of animal research showing improved treatment outcome for drug addiction (e.g. alcohol, amphetamine, cocaine, heroin) when explicit extinction training is conducted in combination with acute dosing of a cognitive-enhancing drug. The mechanism by which cognitive enhancers are thought to exert their benefits is by facilitating consolidation of drug cue extinction memory after activation of glutamatergic receptors. Based on the encouraging work in animals, factors that may be important for the treatment of drug addiction are considered.

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“…), and at the behavioral level with the improved performance of LEW rats in the Morris water maze after cocaine self‐administration (Del Olmo et al . ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Rat‐strain dependent changes of dendritic and spine morphology in the hippocampus after cocaine self‐administration

et al. 2015

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We previously showed that cocaine self-administration increases spine density in CA1 hippocampal neurons in Lewis (LEW) but not in Fischer 344 (F344) rats. Dendritic spine morphology is intimately related to its function. Thus, we conducted a 3D morphological analysis of CA1 dendrites and dendritic spines in these two strains of rats. Strain-specific differences were observed prior to cocaine self-administration: LEW rats had significantly larger dendritic diameters but lower spine density than the F344 strain. After cocaine self-administration, proximal dendritic volume, dendritic surface area and spine density were increased in LEW rats, where a higher percentage of larger spines were also observed. In addition, we found a strong positive correlation between dendritic volume and spine morphology, and a moderate correlation between dendritic volume and spine density in cocaine self-administered LEW rats, an effect that was not evident in any other condition. By contrast, after cocaine self-administration, F334 rats showed decreased spine head volumes. Our findings suggest that genetic differences could play a key role in the structural plasticity induced by cocaine in CA1 pyramidal neurons. These cocaine-induced alterations could be related to differences in the memory processing of drug reward cues that could potentially explain differential individual vulnerability to cocaine addiction.

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Cocaine self-administration improves performance in a highly demanding water maze task

Abstract: Our data suggest that cocaine self-administration facilitates learning and memory in the water maze test only when animals are submitted to highly demanding tasks, involving working memory or consolidation-like processes during the intertrial interval.

Cited by 36 publications

References 42 publications

High cocaine dosage decreases neurogenesis in the hippocampus and impairs working memory

High cocaine dosage decreases neurogenesis in the hippocampus and impairs working memory

Cognitive enhancers for facilitating drug cue extinction: Insights from animal models

Rat‐strain dependent changes of dendritic and spine morphology in the hippocampus after cocaine self‐administration

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