title: Influence of sex, estrous cycle, and drug-onset age on cocaine self-administration in rats (Rattus norvegicus).
abstract: The influence of sex, phase of the estrous cycle, and age of drug onset on cocaine self-administration was examined. Adult male, adult female, and adolescent male rats (Rattus norvegicus) were evaluated using low fixed-ratio (FR) schedules of drug delivery with a single fixed cocaine unit dose or a range of cocaine unit doses with a single FR schedule. Sex differences in adults were observed for mg/kg consumption of the 3.0-mg/kg unit dose, with consumption being significantly less in estrus females than in males. Over the estrous cycle, mg/kg consumption of this unit dose was significantly less during estrus than during metestrus-diestrus. Differences due to age of drug onset were also observed, with mg/kg consumption of the 3.0-mg/kg unit dose being significantly less in adolescent males than adult males or adult females during metestrus-diestrus. In contrast, these various groups did not have significantly different mg/kg intakes of cocaine unit doses <3.0 mg/kg, nor did they significantly differ in the rates and patterns of responding and number of infusions earned as a function of FR schedule or unit dose of cocaine available. The role of sex, estrus cycle, and drug-onset age on cocaine self-administration appears to be minimal under these experimental conditions. Experimental conditions that favor no sex or age differences in cocaine intake (1.0-mg/kg unit dose and low FR) may be useful for evaluating potential sex or age differences in the consequences of cocaine self-administration more reliably, as cocaine intake would not be an uncontrolled factor.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA. kkantak@bu.edu
authors.forename: Kathleen M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Kantak
authors.forename: Claudia M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Goodrich
authors.forename: Valeria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Uribe
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000779:Anesthetics, Local / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D003042:Cocaine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D003216:Conditioning, Operant / Q000187:drug effects; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D030762:Estrous Cycle / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D007260:Infusion Pumps; D007262:Infusions, Intravenous; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012055:Reinforcement Schedule; D012646:Self Administration; D012737:Sex Factors; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000779:Anesthetics, Local; D003042:Cocaine