Brief access to sweets protect against relapse to cocaine-seeking.
The availability of alternative rewards can reduce acquisition and maintenance of cocaine self-administration in rats and humans. Once acquired, however, addiction is an intractable disease where relapse is elicited by exposure to drug-associated cues, the drug itself, or stress. The present study shows that both cocaine-seeking and drug-induced relapse are significantly reduced when drug-experienced, but abstinent, rats are given just 5 min daily prior access to a palatable glucose + saccharin mixture. The results suggest that presentation of an alternative reward may be useful as a therapeutic intervention for cocaine seeking and relapse.
Liu
Chuang
C
Department of Neural and Behavioral Sciences, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, H181, 500 University Drive, Hershey, PA 17033, USA. chliu@psu.edu
Grigson
Patricia Sue
PS
D000818:Animals; D001070:Appetitive Behavior; D019970:Cocaine-Related Disorders / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology*; D003216:Conditioning, Operant; D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005108:Extinction, Psychological; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012201:Reward; D055502:Secondary Prevention; D012646:Self Administration; D013375:Substance Withdrawal Syndrome / Q000523:psychology*; D013649:Taste
D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates