Microinfusion of cocaine into the medial preoptic area or nucleus accumbens transiently impairs maternal behavior in the rat.

Vernotica, Ellen M.; Rosenblatt, Jay S.; Morrell, Joan I.

doi:10.1037/0735-7044.113.2.377

Cited by 60 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 75 publications

(107 reference statements)

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“…Locomotor activity increased after cocaine, in accord with our previous findings in the maternal female rat showing that 10 mg/kg cocaine increases locomotion modestly, much less than 20 mg/kg in male or female rats (Vernotica et al 1996a(Vernotica et al , 1999Vernotica and Morrell 1998;). …”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 80%

Preferences for cocaine- or pup-associated chambers differentiates otherwise behaviorally identical postpartum maternal rats

et al. 2003

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Rationale and objectives-Our previous work uncovered a differential preference of maternal female rats for cues associated with pups versus cues associated with cocaine at three different postpartum time points. Our current study examines the preference for these cues in conjunction with an assessment of the capacity to express the maternal behavior at one of these time points. We examined dams at day 10 postpartum using a procedure that included two additional controls, and a complete assessment of the expression of maternal behavior and locomotor activity.Methods-A conditioned place-preference procedure was used to determine the preference for cocaine-or pup-associated cues. The two controls were (1) a preconditioning test to verify no initial chamber preference and (2) a separate control group of postpartum day-10 dams exposed to chambers and cues but not to unconditioned stimuli. The expression of maternal behavior was determined by measurement of maternal nest building, retrieval of pups to the nest, grooming, crouching over pups, nursing, and maternal aggression. Locomotor activity was measured with an automated apparatus.Results-Dams conditioned with cocaine or pups showed a preference for either the cocaineassociated chamber or the pup-associated chamber, confirming the existence of two similar-sized preference groups at this time point. Regardless of preference, dams had equal and robust expression of maternal behavior and similar locomotor capacity. The pre-conditioning test showed no initial chamber preferences and did not alter the conditioned preference response. The use of unconditioned stimuli in the place-preference conditioning procedure was effective and necessary for the preference response.Conclusion-Our current study has revealed that differences in the motivational state of the maternal dam emerge even while the expression of maternal behavior is constant and substantial. The data suggest that the difference in preference is a very specific appetitive response that is not linked to expression of maternal behavior or locomotor capacity.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 80%

Preferences for cocaine- or pup-associated chambers differentiates otherwise behaviorally identical postpartum maternal rats

et al. 2003

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“…AVP neurons are localized in the MPOA (Rhodes et al, 1981), a region that is directly responsive to cocaine: sitespecific infusion of cocaine into the MPOA has been shown to impair maternal behavior in rats (Vernotica et al, 1999). Since intra-MPOA injection of AVP induces grooming behavior in mice (Lumley et al, 2001), our present finding suggests that the AVP-EGFP-expressing neurons in the MPOA are involved in cocaine withdrawal-related behaviors.…”

Section: Avp In the Mpoasupporting

confidence: 49%

Persistent Increase in Hypothalamic Arginine Vasopressin Gene Expression During Protracted Withdrawal from Chronic Escalating-Dose Cocaine in Rodents

Zhou

Litvin

Piras

et al. 2011

Neuropsychopharmacol

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Arginine vasopressin (AVP) from the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of hypothalamus has important roles in regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and stress-related behaviors during chronic stress. It is unknown, however, whether AVP in the PVN is involved in the modulation of HPA activity after chronic cocaine exposure. Here, we examined the gene expression alterations of AVP in the hypothalamus, and V1b receptor and pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) in the anterior pituitary, as well as HPA hormonal changes, in Fischer rats after chronic cocaine and withdrawal, using two different chronic (14-day) 'binge' pattern administration regimens: steady-dose cocaine (SDC, 45 mg/kg/day) and escalating-dose cocaine (EDC, 45 up to 90 mg/kg/day). There was a significant (7-fold) plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) elevation after chronic EDC (but not SDC), coupled with increased V1b and POMC mRNA levels in the anterior pituitary. From acute (1-day) to protracted (14-day) withdrawal from chronic EDC (but not from SDC), we found persistent elevations of both plasma ACTH and corticosterone levels and AVP mRNA levels in the PVN. Selective V1b antagonist SSR149415 (5 mg/kg) attenuated acute withdrawal-induced HPA activation after EDC. To study potential roles of endogenous opioids in modulating the AVP gene, we administered naloxone (1 mg/kg); we found that opioid receptor antagonism increased AVP mRNA levels in cocaine-naive rats, but not in cocaine-withdrawn rats, suggesting less tonic opioid inhibition of PVN AVP neurons after chronic EDC. To assess the effects of cocaine withdrawal on sub-populations of PVN AVP neurons, we utilized AVP-enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) promoter transgenic mice and found that acute withdrawal following chronic EDC increased the number of AVP-EGFP neurons in the parvocellular PVN (pPVN). These results suggest that during protracted withdrawal, enhanced pPVN AVP gene expression is associated with persistent elevations of basal HPA activity; a hyposensitivity of PVN AVP gene expression to naloxone is indicative of reduced opioidergic tone. Our studies indicate that the AVP and its V1b receptor system may be a potential therapeutic target for treating anxiety and depressive symptoms associated with cocaine addiction.

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“…Cocaine markedly impairs the expression of species-specific maternal behavior in postpartum rats when administered either systemically (Johns et al, 1994(Johns et al, , 1997(Johns et al, , 1998Kinsley et al, 1994;Vernotica et al, 1996a,b;Zimmerberg and Gray, 1992) or centrally into discrete central nervous system sites (Vernotica et al, 1999). We recently investigated the effects of cocaine as a pharmacological challenge to natural motivational processes in the lactating, postpartum rat, which is known to be highly motivated to seek and care for her offspring (Fahrbach and Pfaff, 1982;Fleming et al, 1994;Hauser and Gandelman, 1985;Lee et al, 2000;Magnusson and Fleming, 1995;Mattson et al, 2001Mattson et al, , 2003Wilsoncroft, 1969).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Plasma cocaine levels, metabolites, and locomotor activity after subcutaneous cocaine injection are stable across the postpartum period in rats

Wansaw

Lin

Morrell

2005

Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior

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Plasma levels of cocaine (COC) and two of its principle metabolites, benzoylecgonine (BE) and ecgonine methyl ester (EME) were determined by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) in samples collected up to 3 h after a subcutaneous injection of cocaine (10 mg/kg) on six different days between days 4 and 24 postpartum, a period of dramatic change in the endocrine state of the female rat. Locomotor activity was measured in the same animals during this period using automated animal activity monitors. Additional measures in males provide a link to existing literature. We found that plasma levels of cocaine and its metabolites, as well as their respective time courses, are remarkably uniform across the postpartum period in female rats, as are the effects of cocaine on locomotor activity. Data from males show accord with prior published values. COC and BE, but not EME levels, were higher in males, and the time courses of COC and BE levels after injection varied somewhat between postpartum females and males; however, neither baseline nor cocaine-induced locomotor activity differed between postpartum females and males. We conclude that in the postpartum rat, there are no significant differences in the peripheral processing or general accessibility of cocaine to the brain to activate motor systems across the postpartum period. These data are critical to our understanding of differences in the reward salience of cocaine across the postpartum period and in other adult rat models [Mattson BJ, Williams S, Rosenblatt JS, Morrell JI. Comparison of two positive reinforcing stimuli: pups and cocaine throughout the postpartum period. Behav Neurosci 2001;115:683-94, Mattson BJ, Williams SE, Rosenblatt JS, Morrell JI. Preferences for cocaine-or pup-associated chambers differentiate otherwise behaviorally identical postpartum maternal rats.

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Microinfusion of cocaine into the medial preoptic area or nucleus accumbens transiently impairs maternal behavior in the rat.

Cited by 60 publications

References 75 publications

Preferences for cocaine- or pup-associated chambers differentiates otherwise behaviorally identical postpartum maternal rats

Preferences for cocaine- or pup-associated chambers differentiates otherwise behaviorally identical postpartum maternal rats

Persistent Increase in Hypothalamic Arginine Vasopressin Gene Expression During Protracted Withdrawal from Chronic Escalating-Dose Cocaine in Rodents

Plasma cocaine levels, metabolites, and locomotor activity after subcutaneous cocaine injection are stable across the postpartum period in rats

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