Cocaine facilitates prefrontal cortex self-stimulation.
It has been demonstrated that cocaine HCl lowers thresholds for and increases rates of medial forebrain bundle intracranial self-stimulation. The influence of cocaine on prefrontal cortex self-stimulation was assessed in the present experiment. The prefrontal cortex was chosen because evidence indicates that the neuroanatomical and pharmacological substrate for intracranial self-stimulation at this site may differ from the substrate for medial forebrain bundle self-stimulation. Cocaine significantly decreased train-duration thresholds and increased the rate of prefrontal cortex self-stimulation. It was concluded that cocaine facilitates both prefrontal cortex and medial forebrain bundle self-stimulation, perhaps by influencing neural activity in the mesocorticolimbic dopamine system. However, the role of dopamine in cocaine's effects at both sites remains speculative.
Moody
C A
CA
Department of Psychology, University of Cincinnati, OH 45221-0376.
Frank
R A
RA
D000818:Animals; D003042:Cocaine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012653:Self Stimulation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*
D003042:Cocaine