Differential involvement of the norepinephrine, serotonin and dopamine reuptake transporter proteins in cocaine-induced taste aversion.
Despite the impact of cocaine's aversive effects on its abuse potential, the neurochemical basis of these aversive effects remains poorly understood. By blocking the reuptake of the monoamine neurotransmitters dopamine (DA), norepinephrine (NE) and serotonin (5-HT) into the presynaptic terminal, cocaine acts as a potent indirect agonist of each of these systems. The following studies attempted to assess the extent of monoaminergic mediation of cocaine's aversive effects using conditioned taste aversion (CTA) learning [Garcia, J., Kimeldorf, D.J., Koelling, R.A., Conditioned aversion to saccharin resulting from exposure to gamma radiation. Science 1955;122:157-158.]. Specifically, Experiment 1 assessed the ability of selective monoamine transporter inhibitors, e.g., DAT (vanoxerine), NET (nisoxetine) and SERT (fluoxetine), to induce taste aversions (relative to cocaine). Only the NET inhibitor approximated the aversive strength of cocaine. Experiment 2 compared the effects of pretreatment of each of these transport inhibitors on the development of a cocaine-induced CTA. Pretreatment with nisoxetine and fluoxetine both attenuated cocaine-induced aversions in a manner comparable to that produced by cocaine itself. The DAT inhibitor was without effect. Combined, the results of these investigations indicate little or no involvement of dopaminergic systems in cocaine's aversive effects while NE appears to contribute most substantially, with a possible modulatory involvement by serotonin.
Substance Use Research Center, New York State Psychiatric Institute/Columbia University, 1051 Riverside Dr., New York, NY 10032, USA. JermaineDJones@gmail.com
Jermaine D
JD
Jones
F Scott
FS
Hall
George R
GR
Uhl
Kenner
K
Rice
Anthony L
AL
Riley
D000818:Animals; D003042:Cocaine / Q000633:toxicity*; D019970:Cocaine-Related Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D003213:Conditioning, Psychological; D004298:Dopamine / Q000502:physiology*; D018765:Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D005473:Fluoxetine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000502:physiology*; D010879:Piperazines / Q000494:pharmacology; D012701:Serotonin / Q000502:physiology*; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D013649:Taste / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*
D003042:Cocaine; D004298:Dopamine; D018765:Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors; D005473:Fluoxetine; D009638:Norepinephrine; D010879:Piperazines; D012701:Serotonin; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors; C011386:nisoxetine; C043425:vanoxerine