Cocaine self-administration increases the incentive motivational properties of the drug in rats

A progressive increase in the frequency and intensity of drug use is one of the major behavioural phenomena characterizing the development of addiction. The nature of the drug-induced adaptations involved in this escalating drug intake remains unknown. Some theories propose that this escalation is due to a progressive decrease (tolerance) in the reinforcing or incentive effects of the drug. Alternative views posit that with chronic use the reinforcing or incentive effects of drugs increase, by a sensitization or a learning mechanism. In this report, we address the question of whether escalating cocaine intake is paralleled by an increase or a decrease in the reinforcing and incentive effects of the drug. Using the experimental model of intravenous drug self-administration with a within-session dose-response paradigm, we first studied the course of cocaine intake over 14 sessions in rats. After acquisition of cocaine self-administration, cocaine intake progressively increased at each dose tested. Then rats, previously allowed to self-administer cocaine during either six or 29 sessions, were compared in three different tests of the incentive and reinforcing effects of cocaine: cocaine-induced reinstatement of self-administration, cocaine-induced runway and cocaine-induced place conditioning. As compared with rats briefly exposed to cocaine self-administration (six sessions), rats with the longer experience (29 sessions) exhibited a higher intake of cocaine paralleled by a higher responsiveness in the cocaine-induced reinstatement and runway tests. Both groups of rats were similarly sensitive to the rewarding effects of the drug as evaluated by the threshold dose of cocaine inducing place conditioning. Our results demonstrate that escalating cocaine intake is paralleled by an increase in the motivational properties of the drug in the absence of apparent signs of tolerance to the reinforcing or incentive effects of cocaine.

Individual differences in stress-induced dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens are influenced by corticosterone

Stressful experiences, glucocorticoids hormones and dopaminergic neurons seems to interact in determining a higher propensity to develop drug abuse. In this report, we studied the acute interaction between these three factors. For this purpose, we compared stress-induced dopamine release in intact rats and in rats in which stress-induced corticosterone secretion was experimentally blocked. Ten-minute tail-pinch was used as a stressor and dopamine release estimated in the nucleus accumbens by using the microdialysis technique. Individual differences were also taken into account by comparing rats identified as either predisposed (HRs) or resistant (LRs) to develop self-administration of drugs of abuse, on the basis of their locomotor response to novelty. It was found that suppression of stress-induced corticosterone secretion significantly decreased stress-induced dopamine release. However, such an effect greatly differed between HR and LR rats. When corticosterone secretion was intact HR animals had a higher and longer dopamine release in response to stress than LRs. The blockade of stress-induced corticosterone secretion selectively reduced the dopaminergic response of HRs that did not differ from LRs anymore. These findings strength the idea that glucocorticoids could be involved in determining propensity to develop drug self-administration. In particular, these hormones could play a role in determining the higher dopaminergic activity that characterizes drug proned individuals.

Prenatal stress enhances stress- and corticotropin-releasing factor-induced stimulation of hippocampal acetylcholine release in adult rats

There is growing evidence that stressors occurring during pregnancy can impair biological and behavioral responses to stress in the adult offspring. For instance, prenatal stress enhances emotional reactivity, anxiety, and depressive-like behaviors associated with a prolonged stress-induced corticosterone secretion and a reduction in hippocampal corticosteroid receptors. Among the neurotransmitters involved in these hormonal and behavioral responses, acetylcholine may play a critical role. However, it is unknown whether prenatal stressful events also may influence the development of cholinergic systems. In the present study, hippocampal acetylcholine was measured, by in vivo microdialysis, in both male and female adult prenatally stressed rats, under basal conditions, after a mild stress (saline injection) or after intracerebroventricular administration of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF; 0.1 nM). No difference in basal release of acetylcholine was observed between control and prenatally stressed rats of both genders. Mild stress was found to increase hippocampal acetylcholine release to a greater extent in prenatally stressed rats than in controls. In males, the CRF-induced increase in hippocampal acetylcholine release was larger in prenatally stressed rats, as compared with controls, during the first hour after the injection and in females during the third hour after the injection. These data indicate that prenatal stress has long-term effects on the development of forebrain cholinergic systems. The augmented increase in hippocampal acetylcholine release after the mild stress and CRF injection in prenatally stressed rats may be involved in some of the hormonal and behavioral abnormalities found in prenatally stressed rats.

Differences in the liability to self-administer intravenous cocaine between C57BL/6 x SJL and BALB/cByJ mice

Application of animal models of psychostimulant abuse for experimentation in mice is becoming increasingly important for studying the contribution of genetic differences, as well as the roles of selected (targeted) genes, in specific behaviors. The purpose of this study was to investigate strain differences in cocaine self-administration behavior between C57BL/6 x SJL hybrid mice and BALB/cByJ mice. These two strains were chosen because BALB/cByJ mice have a well-developed behavioral pharmacological profile, and hybrid strains on a C57BL/6 background are commonly used for generating transgenic expressing and knockout mutant mice. C57BL/6 x SJL mice dose-dependently acquired cocaine self-administration (1.0 mg/kg/injection but not 0.25 mg/kg/injection) by responding selectively in the active nose-poke hole and maintaining stable levels of daily drug intake; they also exhibited a characteristic inverted-U-shaped cocaine dose-effect function. BALB/cByJ mice failed to acquire cocaine self-administration at either dose under the same test conditions. The strain differences observed in self-administration did not seem to be attributed to other behavioral differences because the two strains exhibited similar amounts of spontaneous nose-poking in the absence of reinforcers, and BALB/cByJ mice responded more than C57BL/6 x SJL mice in a food-reinforced nose-poke operant task. Importantly, the dose-effect function for the motor stimulating effects of cocaine (3.8-30 mg/kg intraperitoneally) suggests enhanced sensitivity but reduced efficacy of cocaine in stimulating motor activity in BALB/cByJ mice relative to the C57BL/6 x SJL hybrid mice. These results indicate that the decreased liability of BALB/cByJ mice to acquire cocaine self-administration is not the result of differences in spontaneous activity or performance, but may reflect different sensitivities to the reinforcing, or rate-disrupting, properties of cocaine. The data support an influence of genetic background in the liability to self-administer cocaine. Thus, a hypothesis is proposed that the decreased liability of BALB/cByJ mice to acquire cocaine self-administration is related to differences in brain monoamine systems linked to the high "emotionality" profile of BALB/c mice in novel or fearful situations, including perhaps cocaine administration.

Glucocorticoids and behavioral effects of psychostimulants. I: locomotor response to cocaine depends on basal levels of glucocorticoids

In this study, we explored the influence of corticosterone, the major glucocorticoid in the rat, on the locomotor response to cocaine. In particular, in a first series of experiments, we determined the effects of suppressing endogenous glucocorticoids by adrenalectomy on a full dose-response curve of cocaine-induced locomotion and the influence, on this behavioral response, of different corticosterone concentrations, by implanting different corticosterone pellets in adrenalectomized rats. Adrenalectomy decreased the locomotor response to cocaine, inducing a vertical shift in the dose-response curve, and corticosterone dose-dependently reversed the decrease induced by adrenalectomy. The effects of adrenalectomy were fully replicated by the acute central infusion of corticosteroid receptor antagonists, and the action of glucocorticoids did not seem to depend on nonspecific effects such as a general alteration of motor responses or drug metabolism. Thus, neither adrenalectomy, corticosterone receptor antagonists nor corticosterone replacement modified saline-induced locomotion and the administration of corticosterone did not increase locomotion. Furthermore, adrenalectomy slightly increased brain concentrations of cocaine, an effect that cannot account for the decrease in drug-induced locomotion it induced. In a second series of experiments, we tested whether corticosterone levels at the time of adrenalectomy could influence the outcome of this surgical procedure on the locomotor response to cocaine. We thus adrenalectomized rats under different conditions resulting in different levels of the hormone. Corticosterone levels at the moment of adrenalectomy had dose-dependent long-term facilitatory effects on the response to the drug. These findings underline a facilitatory role of glucocorticoids in the behavioral effects of psychostimulant drugs.

Glucocorticoids and behavioral effects of psychostimulants. II: cocaine intravenous self-administration and reinstatement depend on glucocorticoid levels

Observations suggest that corticosterone, the principal glucocorticoid hormone in the rat, can modulate the behavioral effects of drugs of abuse. In this report, the influence of corticosterone on intravenous self-administration of cocaine was studied. In the first experiment, cocaine intravenous self-administration in adrenalectomized rats and in adrenalectomized rats receiving corticosterone replacement treatments was studied as a function of corticosterone concentrations and as a function of cocaine doses (0.025, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, 0.8 mg/kg/infusion). In a second experiment, we tested, in intact rats, the effect of different doses of corticosterone (0.09, 0.18, 0.37, 0.58, 0.75 mg/kg) on the reinstatement of an extinguished cocaine self-administration behavior. It is reported that adrenalectomy markedly shifts the cocaine self-administration dose-effect curve downward. This effect was dose-dependently reversed by corticosterone; a complete restoration being obtained for corticosterone levels in the range of those induced by stress. Corticosterone administration also precipitated dose-dependently the reinstatement of cocaine self-administration. The maximal effect was obtained for a dose of corticosterone producing an increase in plasma levels similar to the increase produced by an intense stress. In conclusion, our results show that glucocorticoids facilitate the reinforcing effects of cocaine and support the hypothesis that glucocorticoids are one of the biological factors determining vulnerability to substance abuse.

Glucocorticoids have state-dependent stimulant effects on the mesencephalic dopaminergic transmission

An increase in the activity of mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons has been implicated in the appearance of pathological behaviors such as psychosis and drug abuse. Several observations suggest that glucocorticoids might contribute to such an increase in dopaminergic activity. The present experiments therefore analyzed the effects of corticosterone, the major glucocorticoid in the rat, both on dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens of freely moving animals by means of microdialysis, and on locomotor activity, a behavior dependent on accumbens dopamine. Given that glucocorticoids have certain state-dependent neuronal effects, their action on dopamine was studied in situations differing in dopaminergic tonus, including during the light and dark phases of the circadian cycle, during eating, and in groups of animals differing in their locomotor reactivity to novelty. Dopaminergic activity is increased in the dark period, further increased during food-intake, and is higher in rats defined as high responders to novelty than in low responders. Corticosterone, peripherally administered in a dose that approximates stress-induced plasma concentrations, increased extracellular concentrations of dopamine, and this increase was augmented in the dark phase, during eating, and in high responder rats. Corticosterone had little or no effects in the light phase and in low responder rats. Corticosterone also stimulated locomotor activity, an effect that paralleled the release of dopamine and was abolished by neurochemical (6-hydroxydopamine) depletion of accumbens dopamine. In conclusion, glucocorticoids have state-dependent stimulant effects on mesencephalic dopaminergic transmission, and an interaction between these two factors might be involved in the appearance of behavioral disturbances.

Effects of dopamine agonists and antagonists on cocaine-induced operant responding for a cocaine-associated stimulus

The present study examined the effects of receptor subtype-selective dopamine agonists and antagonists on (i) cocaine-induced responding for a cocaine-associated stimulus and (ii) on responding for food and cocaine reinforcement. Rats implanted with intravenous catheters were trained to lever-press for food or cocaine reinforcers on an FR5-FR5 multiple schedule, which was preceded by a 5-min component during which only stimuli previously associated with the primary reinforcers were available response-contingently. (i) Non-contingent delivery of cocaine at the beginning of the stimulus component significantly increased responding for the cocaine-associated stimulus, compared to responding for the food-associated cue. Changes in the dose of cocaine administered non-contingently before the stimulus component resulted in an inverted U-shaped dose-effect curve in responding for the cocaine-associated cue. In subsequent experiments, pretreatment with the dopamine D2 receptor agonist bromocriptine (4.0-16.0 mg/kg IP) attenuated the cocaine-induced increase in responding for the cocaine-associated cue. In contrast, pretreatment with low doses of SDZ 208-911, a dopamine D2 partial agonist (0.025-0.1 mg/kg SC), further potentiated the cocaine-induced response. Pretreatment with low and medium doses of the dopamine D1 and D2 receptor subtype-selective antagonists SCH 23390 (D1; 5-10 micrograms/kg SC) and raclopride (D2; 100-200 micrograms/kg SC) blocked responding for cocaine-associated cues, with SCH 23390 acting more selectively than raclopride. At higher doses (SCH 23390: 20 micrograms/kg SC; raclopride: 400 micrograms/kg SC), both drugs produced non-selective effects by inhibiting responses for the food-associated cue. (ii) Varying the dose of cocaine self-administered during the multiple schedule resulted in an inverted U-shaped dose-effect curve during the cocaine components, while the number of food pellets earned remained unchanged. Pretreatment with bromocriptine selectively reduced the number of cocaine infusions obtained. The compensatory increases in responding for cocaine typically associated with SCH 23390, raclopride or SDZ 208-911 pretreatment were also observed under the present schedule conditions, although the effect did not reach statistical significance in the case of SCH 23390 and raclopride, possibly due to methodological constraints. The results indicate that the present rat model of cocaine-seeking behavior is sensitive to pharmacological manipulations and may yield important information regarding the neurobiological mechanisms underlying conditioned and unconditioned reinforcing aspects of cocaine addiction.

Stress-induced sensitization and glucocorticoids. I. Sensitization of dopamine-dependent locomotor effects of amphetamine and morphine depends on stress-induced corticosterone secretion

Repeated exposures to stress sensitize motor and addictive effects of drugs of abuse. Recently, it has been shown that stress-induced behavioral sensitization depends on the secretion of glucocorticoids. We investigated if sensitization of dopamine-dependent effects of psychostimulants and opioids was influenced by glucocorticoid. Sensitization of the dopaminergic response to drugs is considered the neural substrate of behavioral sensitization and has been implicated in vulnerability to drug abuse. Dopamine-dependent effects of psychostimulants and opioids were evaluated by injecting either amphetamine into the nucleus accumbens (10 micrograms/side) or morphine into the ventral tegmental area (VTA) (1 microgram/side). The locomotor response to psychostimulants and opioids injected in these brain areas depends on the mesencephalic dopaminergic transmission. Drug-induced locomotion was compared in male rats in which corticosterone secretion was either in +tct or experimentally suppressed by an adrenalectomy associated with a substitutive treatment reproducing basal levels of the hormone. Eight days of food restriction (80% of the initial body weight) were used as a stressor. Suppression of stress-induced corticosterone secretion abolished food restriction-induced sensitization of the locomotor effects of intra-accumbens amphetamine and intra-VTA morphine. This effect was corticosterone dependent since the restoration of corticosterone levels in the range of those induced by stress totally reinstates sensitization. Our results suggest that glucocorticoids control stress-induced sensitization by changing the sensitivity of the mesencephalic dopaminergic transmission to drugs of abuse. Since dopaminergic effects of drugs are related to their addictive properties, secretion of glucocorticoids may be one of the factors determining the enhanced vulnerability to drugs observed in stressed subjects.

Inhibition of corticosterone synthesis by Metyrapone decreases cocaine-induced locomotion and relapse of cocaine self-administration

Several studies have recently shown that basal and stress-induced secretion of corticosterone may enhance vulnerability to drugs of abuse. In this report, we studied the effects of metyrapone, an inhibitor of the synthesis of corticosterone, on cocaine-induced locomotion and on the relapse of cocaine self-administration. Locomotor response to cocaine was studied because psychomotor effects of drugs have been shown to be related to their reinforcing properties. Self-administration was studied in the relapse phase since blockade of relapse is central to the therapy of addiction. Before these behavioral tests, rats in different experimental groups were injected subcutaneously with either metyrapone (100 mg/kg) or vehicle, twice a day for 8 days. Metyrapone treatment reduced cocaine-induced locomotor activity and relapse of cocaine self-administration, without inducing a nonspecific disruption of motor or food-directed behaviors. Under these experimental conditions, the metyrapone treatment totally blocked stress-induced corticosterone secretion but did not modify basal corticosterone levels. These results confirm the involvement of glucocorticoids in the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying vulnerability to drug abuse, and may have implications for the development of new therapeutic strategies of drug addiction.

Corticosterone circadian secretion differentially facilitates dopamine-mediated psychomotor effect of cocaine and morphine

Studies of intravenous self-administration and psychomotor effects of drugs have recently suggested that stress-induced corticosterone secretion may be an important factor determining vulnerability to drugs of abuse. In this report, we studied if basal physiological corticosterone secretion modulates sensitivity to cocaine and morphine, and if changes in the reactivity of mesolimbic dopaminergic (DA) neurons, one of the principal substrates of drug-reinforcing effects, are involved. For this purpose we determined the psychomotor effects of these drugs in animals in which corticosterone secretion was suppressed by adrenalectomy and in adrenalectomized animals submitted to different corticosterone replacement therapies designed to mimic (1) only the diurnal levels of the hormone, obtained by the subcutaneous implantation of 50 mg corticosterone pellets; (2) only the nocturnal levels, obtained by adding corticosterone (50 micrograms/ml) to the drinking solution during the dark period; and (3) the entire circadian fluctuation, obtained by combining the two previous treatments. Locomotor response to cocaine and morphine was studied after both systemic and central injections, into the nucleus accumbens for cocaine and into the ventral tegmental area for morphine. These sites were chosen because stimulant effects of cocaine and morphine injected in these structures are dopamine dependent. Our results show that suppression of corticosterone by adrenalectomy reduced the locomotor response to cocaine and morphine, injected both systemically and centrally. The reinstatement of diurnal levels of corticosterone totally reversed adrenalectomy's effects on the behavioral response to cocaine, whereas the reestablishment of the entire corticosterone circadian fluctuation (diurnal plus nocturnal levels) was necessary to reverse the response to morphine.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Social isolation-induced enhancement of the psychomotor effects of morphine depends on corticosterone secretion

Short-term social isolation has been shown to increase individual reactivity to addictive drugs, although the biological factors involved in this effect are largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the influence of corticosterone secretion on the effects of social isolation on the response to opioids. The effects of social isolation on morphine-induced locomotor activity were compared in: (i) animals with an intact hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis; (ii) animals in which stress-induced corticosterone secretion was blocked by adrenalectomy. The animals in the latter group were implanted with subcutaneous corticosterone pellets (50 mg), which slowly release corticosterone, producing stable plasma levels within the physiological range. Social isolation increased the locomotor response to morphine (2 mg/kg s.c.) in animals with an intact HPA axis, but not in animals in which corticosterone secretion was blocked. These results suggest that corticosterone secretion is required for the expression of the enhanced locomotor response to opioids induced by isolation. Since an enhanced locomotor reactivity to addictive drugs has been found to be frequently associated with an enhanced vulnerability to drug self-administration, these findings suggest a role for glucocorticoids in the vulnerability to the reinforcing effects of opioids.

Corticosterone in the range of stress-induced levels possesses reinforcing properties: implications for sensation-seeking behaviors

In both humans and animals certain individuals seek stimuli or situations that are considered stressful and consequently avoided by others. A common feature of such situations is an activation of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis leading to secretion of glucocorticoids. Since glucocorticoids have euphoric effects in some individuals and have been shown to potentiate the reinforcing properties of drugs of abuse in animals, we hypothesized that corticosterone secretion during stress-like situations may have reinforcing effects and that a higher sensitivity to the reinforcing effects of glucocorticoids might be a biological basis of sensation seeking. In this report we show that (i) corticosterone has reinforcing properties, as evidenced by the development of intravenous self-administration, (ii) self-administration of corticosterone is observed at plasma levels that are comparable to those induced by stress, and (iii) there are individual differences in corticosterone self-administration, which are related to individual reactivity to novelty and sensitivity to drugs of abuse, behavioral features akin to certain traits of high-sensation seekers. These findings provide insight into the physiological role of glucocorticoids and the biology of sensation seeking and may have clinical implications.

Individual differences in the psychomotor effects of morphine are predicted by reactivity to novelty and influenced by corticosterone secretion

Clinical observations show that individual vulnerability to the reinforcing properties of drugs plays an important part in the subsequent development of addition. In animals, individual vulnerability to psychostimulants has been found to be predicted by their locomotor response to novelty as well as their corticosterone response. Rats with a high locomotor response to novelty (High Responders or HR) relative to Low Responders (LR), show a higher sensitivity to both the psychomotor and reinforcing effects of psychostimulants and a longer lasting corticosterone secretion in response to stress. In this study, we addressed two main questions. First, does the locomotor response to novelty also predict the psychomotor effects of morphine? Second, do differences in corticosterone secretion underlie individual differences in the stimulant effects of morphine? We compared the locomotor response to morphine (2 mg/kg s.c.) in: (i) HR and LR rats with an intact hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis; (ii) HR and LR rats in which stress-induced corticosterone secretion was suppressed by adrenalectomy but basal levels of corticosterone were maintained by implantation of subcutaneous corticosterone pellets. In animals with an intact HPA axis, HR rats showed a higher locomotor response than did LRs to morphine. In animals in which corticosterone secretion was suppressed, the enhanced locomotor response of the HRs to morphine fell to that observed in the LRs. In conclusion our data show that, (1) individual reactivity to novelty can predict individual vulnerability to the psychomotor effects of opioids, and (2) stress-induced corticosterone secretion may play a role in determining individual differences in sensitivity to these drugs.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Rats orally self-administer corticosterone

Corticosterone, the major glucocorticoid in the rat, may modulate the reinforcing properties of addictive drugs as well as act as a positive reinforcer for intravenous self-administration. Since glucocorticoids are generally administered to humans via the oral route, we examined the ability of corticosterone to induce oral self-administration in the rat. In a first experiment, animals with free access to food could choose between a corticosterone solution and water. Three doses (25, 50 and 100 micrograms/ml) were tested. The group receiving the 100 micrograms/ml dose was also submitted to an extinction followed by a reversal test. In a second experiment, we examined whether the reinforcing properties of corticosterone could induce drinking independently of food intake. In the pre-test phase rats had access to food only during a fixed period of the day (11.00 h to 14.00 h). Corticosterone solution (200 micrograms/ml) or tap water were available during this period, with free access to tap water for the rest of the day. During the test period, access to food was shifted forward in time, while the availability of the corticosterone solution remained the same. The first experiment showed that rats preferred a corticosterone solution to tap water, developing self-administration in a dose-dependent manner. This preference could be extinguished, but was regained during the reversal phase. In the second experiment, animals that had access to the corticosterone solution drank more than rats that had access to water in the absence of food. These results indicate that corticosterone has reinforcing properties after oral administration.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Sensitization to the psychomotor effects of amphetamine and morphine induced by food restriction depends on corticosterone secretion

Food restriction has been shown to enhance the behavioral sensitivity to addictive drugs. The biological factors involved in this effect are largely unknown. Since food restriction, among other factors, increases corticosterone secretion, the role of this hormone in the effects of food restriction on the response to psychostimulants and opioids was investigated. The effects of food restriction on amphetamine- and morphine-induced locomotor activity were compared in: (i) animals with an intact hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis; (ii) animals in which food restriction-induced corticosterone secretion was suppressed by adrenalectomy, but which received exogenous corticosterone from a subcutaneous implant, which slowly releases corticosterone, producing a stable plasma level within the normal physiological range over a period of 20 days. It was found that food restriction enhanced sensitivity to the psychomotor effects of amphetamine (1 mg/kg i.p.) and morphine (1 mg/kg i.p.) in animals with an intact hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis, but not in animals in which endogenous corticosterone secretion was eliminated. These results suggest that corticosterone secretion may be one of the mechanisms by which food restriction amplifies the behavioral responses to amphetamine and morphine. Since an enhanced locomotor reactivity to addictive drugs has been found to be frequently associated with an enhanced vulnerability to drug self-administration, these findings point to a role for glucocorticoids in the susceptibility to drug abuse.

Stress-induced sensitization to amphetamine and morphine psychomotor effects depend on stress-induced corticosterone secretion

Repeated exposure to stressful situations has been shown to increase individual reactivity to addictive drugs. However, the biological factors involved in such stress-induced changes are largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the role of corticosterone in the effects of restraint stress on the response to psychostimulants and opioids. The effects of repeated stress on amphetamine- and morphine-induced locomotor activity were compared in: (i) animals with an intact hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis; (ii) animals in which stress-induced corticosterone secretion was blocked by adrenalectomy, but who received exogenous corticosterone from a subcutaneous implant. The implanted pellets (50 mg) slowly release corticosterone producing a stable plasma level within the normal physiological range over a period of 20 days. Restraint stress increased the locomotor response to both amphetamine (1.5 mg/kg i.p.) and morphine (2 mg/kg s.c.) in animals with an intact HPA axis, but not in animals in which stress-induced corticosterone secretion was suppressed. These results suggest that corticosterone secretion may be one of the mechanisms by which repeated stress amplifies behavioral responses to amphetamine and morphine. Since an enhanced locomotor reactivity to addictive drugs has been found to be frequently associated with an enhanced vulnerability to drug self-administration, these findings point to a role for glucocorticoids in the susceptibility to drug abuse.

Repeated corticosterone administration sensitizes the locomotor response to amphetamine

Repeated exposures to stressful situations has been shown to increase individual reactivity to psychostimulants, although the biological factors involved in such stress-induced changes are still poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the role of corticosterone in the effects of stress on the response to psychostimulants. We found that repeated corticosterone administration (both 1.5 mg/kg, intraperitoneally and 50 micrograms/ml in drinking water, once per day for 15 days) increased the locomotor response to amphetamine (1.15 mg/kg, i.p.). At the doses used in these experiments, corticosterone administration induced similar increases in plasma levels of the hormone to those induced by stress. These results suggest that corticosterone secretion may be one of the mechanisms by which repeated stress increases the behavioral responses to amphetamine. Since an enhanced reactivity to psychostimulants has been found to be an index of a propensity for drug self-administration and a model of certain psychopathological conditions, these findings point to a role for glucocorticoids in such abnormal states.