Cocaine abuse is one of the most important problems facing American society today. Recent years have seen a steady stream of research reports documenting the effects of behaviorally active doses of cocaine, both after acute and chronic administration. However, most of the behavioral effects of cocaine have been established in male subjects only. Relatively little research effort has been directed at investigating the behavioral effects of acute and repeated cocaine administration in females, despite the fact that evidence is available to suggest that gonadal hormones may differentially affect the behavioral effects of psychomotor stimulants, including cocaine. The long-term objective of this proposal is to analyze the role of endogenous gonadal hormones in modifying the behavioral effects of acute and repeated cocaine administration in male and female rats. It is important to identify the way in which gonadal hormones modify the behavioral effects of acute and repeated cocaine administration because of the fact that this information may be essential to the design of proper (gender-dependent) treatment and prevention strategies. Specific attention will be paid to the behavioral effects of relatively small doses of acute cocaine administration on voluntary behavior maintained by different schedules of reinforcement. Because of the fact that repeated cocaine administration may result in behavioral tolerance or sensitization to the effects of subsequent cocaine intake, schedule-controlled behavior of intact and gonadectomized male and female rats will be investigated after repeated cocaine exposure. The discriminate-stimulus properties of cocaine will also be examined in an attempt to identify some of the variables which may be responsible for cocaine's differential effects on behavior in male and female rats. Finally, the behavioral effects of withdrawal from repeated cocaine administration will be analyzed to shed more light on the variables which maintain 'drug seeking' after repeated cocaine administration, in male and female rats.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01DA006463-03
Application #
2118687
Study Section
Drug Abuse Clinical and Behavioral Research Review Committee (DACB)
Project Start
1990-06-01
Project End
1994-05-31
Budget Start
1992-06-01
Budget End
1994-05-31
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
1992
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Florida
Department
Psychology
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
073130411
City
Gainesville
State
FL
Country
United States
Zip Code
32611
Anderson, K G; van Haaren, F (2000) Effects of SCH-23390 and raclopride on cocaine discrimination in male and female Wistar rats. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 65:671-5
Anderson, K G; van Haaren, F (1999) Cocaine discrimination and time-course effects in male and female Wistar rats. Eur J Pharmacol 382:69-74
van Luijtelaar, E L; Dirksen, R; Vree, T B et al. (1996) Effects of acute and chronic cocaine administration on EEG and behaviour in intact and castrated male and intact and ovariectomized female rats. Brain Res Bull 40:43-50
van Haaren, F; Anderson, K (1994) Effects of cocaine on fixed-interval behavior and schedule-induced alcohol consumption in male and female rats. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 47:997-1002
van Haaren, F (1994) The effects of acute and chronic cocaine administration on paced responding in intact and gonadectomized male and female Wistar rats. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 48:265-73
van Haaren, F; Zarcone, T J (1994) Effects of chlordiazepoxide and cocaine on concurrent food and avoidance-of-timeout schedules. J Exp Anal Behav 61:479-86
van Haaren, F; Anderson, K (1994) Sex differences in schedule-induced alcohol consumption. Alcohol 11:35-40
Minkin, D M; Meyer, M E; van Haaren, F (1993) Behavioral effects of long-term administration of an anabolic steroid in intact and castrated male Wistar rats. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 44:959-63
van Haaren, F (1992) Response acquisition with fixed and variable resetting delays of reinforcement in male and female Wistar rats. Physiol Behav 52:767-72
van Haaren, F (1992) Effects of cocaine alone and in combination with prazosin or ondansetron on multiple fixed-interval fixed-ratio performance in pigeons. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 42:849-53

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