?Behavioral Core Center laboratories are focused on identifying cell signaling pathways that mediate or regulate cocaine's reinforcing properties. Accordingly, the Behavioral Core will be an integral component of the Center that will enable Center investigators to evaluate the impact of manipulating these cell signaling pathways on cocaine's reinforcing properties. Although it is generally agreed that self-administration assays are the best approach to evaluating the reinforcing properties of drugs of abuse, Johns Hopkins does not have facilities needed to conduct these key assays. Accordingly, an essential goal of the proposed Center is to establish and run a Behavioral Core that will provide the training and facilities needed to conduct these critical behavioral studies.
