title: Effects of consuming a diet high in fat and/or sugar on the locomotor effects of acute and repeated cocaine in male and female C57BL/6J mice.
abstract: Drug abuse and obesity are serious public health problems. Dopamine plays a central role in mediating the reinforcing effects of drugs and food. Prolonged use of drugs is known to alter the function and/or sensitivity of many neurotransmitter systems, including dopamine; however, the impact of consuming foods high in fat and/or sugar is less clear. These studies characterized the locomotor effects of acute and repeated cocaine in male and female C57BL/6J mice consuming 1 of 4 diets: (a) standard chow + water; (b) standard chow + 10% sucrose solution; (c) high-fat chow + water; or (d) high-fat chow + 10% sucrose solution. The acute locomotor effects of cocaine (3.2-32.0 mg/kg) were evaluated 4 weeks after initiating dietary conditions; the effects of repeated cocaine administration were evaluated after 5, 6, 7, and 12 weeks. During acute tests, mice consuming a diet high in fat and/or sucrose exhibited greater locomotor responses to cocaine than mice consuming standard chow and water, regardless of sex. Although diet-induced enhancements persisted across repeated cocaine testing, locomotor sensitization developed more rapidly in females drinking sucrose (and consuming either standard or high-fat chow) than in females consuming standard chow and water. In addition to providing evidence that consuming a diet high in fat and/or sugar enhances abuse-related effects of cocaine in ways that might increase vulnerability to abuse cocaine, these studies identified a potentially important sex-related difference in the interaction between nutrition and cocaine effects, with the impacts of sucrose consumption being greater in females than in males.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
authors.forename: Gregory T
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Collins
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tschumi
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
authors.forename: Elise L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Rush
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
authors.forename: Ayele
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mensah
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
authors.forename: Wouter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Koek
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
authors.forename: Charles P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: France
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D003042:Cocaine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D018765:Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004435:Eating / Q000187:drug effects; D002149:Energy Intake / Q000187:drug effects; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects*; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D013395:Sucrose / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D004041:Dietary Fats; D018765:Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors; D013395:Sucrose; D003042:Cocaine