title: Neurobiological evidence for hedonic allostasis associated with escalating cocaine use.
abstract: A paradoxical aspect of the transition to drug addiction is that drug users spend progressively more time and effort to obtain drug hedonic effects that continually decrease with repeated experience. According to the hedonic allostasis hypothesis, increased craving for and tolerance to the hedonic effects of drugs result from the same chronic alteration in the regulation of brain reward function (allostasis). Here we show in rats that repeated withdrawals from prolonged cocaine self-administration produces a persistent decrease in brain reward function that is highly correlated with escalation of cocaine intake and that reduces the hedonic impact of cocaine.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Neuropsychobiologie des Désadaptations, Université de Bordeaux 2, CNRS-UMR 5541, 146 rue Léo-Saignat, Bordeaux 33076, France. Serge.Ahmed@lnpb.u-bordeaux2.fr
authors.forename: Serge H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.forename: Paul J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Kenny
authors.forename: George F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Koob
authors.forename: Athina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Markou
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003042:Cocaine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D019970:Cocaine-Related Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D004361:Drug Tolerance / Q000502:physiology; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D004567:Electrodes, Implanted; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012201:Reward; D012646:Self Administration; D012684:Sensory Thresholds / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D003042:Cocaine