Chronic cocaine prevents depotentiation at corticostriatal synapses.
BACKGROUND
The advanced stages of addiction are characterized by compulsive drug-seeking and drug-taking behaviors despite the loss of the hedonic effect of drug consumption. A pathology of habit forming systems might underlie these features of addiction.


METHODS
We have compared use-dependent plasticity of corticostriatal synapses in saline- and cocaine-treated rats by means of single neuron electrophysiological recordings.


RESULTS
High-frequency stimulation of cortical afferents induced long-term potentiation (LTP) of corticostriatal synapses in treated and untreated animals. Saline- and acute-cocaine-treated rats, however, showed synaptic depotentiation in response to subsequent low-frequency stimulation of the same pathway, whereas chronic cocaine-treated animals were refractory to this process. Depotentiation was also absent in control slices bathed with cocaine, dopamine, or with the D1 receptor agonist SKF38393. The effect of cocaine on depotentiation was prevented by D1 but not D2 dopamine receptor antagonists and was mimicked by pharmacological inhibition of cyclin-dependent kinase 5, to enhance D1-receptor-associated intracellular signaling.


CONCLUSIONS
These results provide the first evidence that cocaine blocks the reversal of LTP in brain circuits. This alteration might be important for the persistence of addictive behavior despite efforts to abstain.
Clinica Neurologica, Dipartimento di Neuroscienze, Università Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy. centonze@uniroma2.it
Diego
D
Centonze
Cinzia
C
Costa
Silvia
S
Rossi
Chiara
C
Prosperetti
Antonio
A
Pisani
Alessandro
A
Usiello
Giorgio
G
Bernardi
Nicola B
NB
Mercuri
Paolo
P
Calabresi
D000818:Animals; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology; D003042:Cocaine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019970:Cocaine-Related Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology; D003214:Conditioning, Classical / Q000187:drug effects; D051360:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 5 / Q000187:drug effects; D018765:Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D036881:Long-Term Synaptic Depression / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D017072:Neostriatum / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D017447:Receptors, Dopamine D1 / Q000187:drug effects; D012054:Reinforcement, Psychology; D013569:Synapses / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology
D018765:Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors; D017447:Receptors, Dopamine D1; D051360:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 5; D003042:Cocaine