title: 8-pCPT, an Epac activator, impairs conditioned place preference based on nucleus accumbens amphetamine in rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Dopamine receptor-mediated 3',5'-cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)-dependent intracellular signalling is important for reward-related learning. cAMP activates cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) and exchange protein directly activated by cAMP (Epac). We tested the hypothesis that reward-related learning may be mediated by Epac.
  
  
  METHODS
  We evaluated conditioned place preference (CPP) on the basis of nucleus accumbens (NAc) injections of amphetamine (20 μg/0.5 μl/side) plus Sp-adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphorothioate triethylamanine (Sp-cAMPS) (0.1, 1.0, 10, 15, 20 μg/0.5 μl/side), an activator of both PKA and Epac, or amphetamine (20 μg) plus 8-(4-chlorophenylthio)-2'-O-methyladenosine-3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (8-pCPT) (0.73, 1.27, 1.45, 2.89, 5.78, 11.56 μg/0.5 μl/side), an activator of Epac.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In agreement with previous results, Sp-cAMPS dose-dependently impaired CPP. 8-pCPT impaired CPP at one dose (1.45 μg/0.5 μl/side) and we replicated this effect three times.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results implicate Epac in the acquisition of reward-related learning.
authors.affiliation: 1 Centre for Neuroscience Studies, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Sung Woo
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: 2 Pharmaceutical Research Center, School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Roohbakhsh
authors.affiliation: 1 Centre for Neuroscience Studies, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Richard J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Beninger
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants / Q000494:pharmacology; D003213:Conditioning, Psychological / Q000187:drug effects*; D000242:Cyclic AMP / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D003913:Dextroamphetamine / Q000494:pharmacology; D020662:Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors / Q000819:agonists*; D009714:Nucleus Accumbens / Q000187:drug effects*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012201:Reward
chemical_list: C473217:8-(4-chloro-phenylthio)-2'-O-methyladenosine-3'-5'-cyclic monophosphate; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants; D020662:Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors; C526973:Rapgef3 protein, rat; D000242:Cyclic AMP; D003913:Dextroamphetamine