title: Drugs of abuse as memory modulators: a study of cocaine in rats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  It has been proposed that drugs of abuse reinforce behavior partly, or wholly, because they facilitate learning by enhancing memory consolidation. Cocaine can clearly serve as a reinforcer, but its effect on learning has not been fully characterized.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To explore the effects of different regimens of pre- and post-training cocaine administration on win-stay and object learning.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cocaine naïve and cocaine pre-exposed (30 mg/kg/day, × 5 days followed by 7 days drug-free) male Sprague-Dawley rats received cocaine (0, 1, 2.5, 7.5, or 20 mg/kg, i.p.) immediately following training on a win-stay task in a radial maze or following the sample phase of an object learning task. Win-stay performance was also assessed in tests of extinction and after a set shift.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Post-training cocaine did not improve accuracy on the win-stay task and produced performance deficits at 20 mg/kg. These deficits were attenuated by prior cocaine exposure. There was indirect evidence of facilitated learning in extinction and set shift tests, but the effective dosage was different (2.5 and 7.5 mg/kg, respectively). Post-training cocaine produced dose-dependent improvements in object learning.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Post-training cocaine administration can facilitate learning, but this effect is highly dependent on the dose and the type of task employed.
authors: Department of Psychology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, N1G-2W1, Guelph, ON, Canada.
authors: Nabeel
authors: N
authors: Rkieh
authors: Jacob M
authors: JM
authors: Cloke
authors: Nicola
authors: N
authors: Gallagher
authors: Boyer D
authors: BD
authors: Winters
authors: Francesco
authors: F
authors: Leri
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003042:Cocaine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019970:Cocaine-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced; D018765:Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005108:Extinction, Psychological / Q000187:drug effects; D013287:Illicit Drugs / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007858:Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D018765:Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors; D013287:Illicit Drugs; D003042:Cocaine