Modulation of cue value and the augmentation of heroin seeking in chronically food-restricted male rats under withdrawal.

Food restriction augments drug seeking in abstinent rats. The underlying motivational mechanisms, however, remain unclear. We hypothesized that caloric restriction enhances the incentive value attributed to drug-associated cues and, in turn, augments drug seeking.

Augmentation of Heroin Seeking Following Chronic Food Restriction in the Rat: Differential Role for Dopamine Transmission in the Nucleus Accumbens Shell and Core.

Caloric restriction during drug abstinence increases the risk for relapse in addicts. In rats, chronic food restriction during a period of withdrawal following heroin self-administration augments heroin seeking. The mechanisms underlying this effect are largely unknown.

Effects of an acute cannabidiol treatment on cocaine self-administration and cue-induced cocaine seeking in male rats.

Cannabidiol is a non-psychoactive compound that is the second most abundant component of cannabis. It has been shown to have a potential therapeutic value for a wide range of disorders, including anxiety, psychosis, and depression. Recently, it was suggested that cannabidiol might be a potential treatment for heroin craving and relapse.

Food restriction-induced augmentation of heroin seeking in female rats: manipulations of ovarian hormones.

Rationale: Food restriction augments heroin seeking in chronically food-restricted male rats under withdrawal, an effect not yet examined in female rats. Importantly, women and female rats possess an increased vulnerability to drugs of abuse, which may be mediated by fluctuations in ovarian hormones.

Objectives: We investigated the role of estradiol and progesterone in augmented heroin seeking in chronically food-restricted female rats, under withdrawal.

A role for kappa-, but not mu-opioid, receptor activation in acute food deprivation-induced reinstatement of heroin seeking in rats.

Stress is considered to be one of the major triggers to drug relapse, even after prolonged periods of abstinence. In rats, the activation of stress-related brain systems, including corticotropin-releasing factor and norepinephrine, is critical for stress-induced reinstatement of extinguished drug seeking, an animal model for drug relapse. In addition, there are strong indications that activation of the endogenous opioid system is important for the effects of stress on drug seeking.

A procedure to study the effect of prolonged food restriction on heroin seeking in abstinent rats.

In human drug addicts, exposure to drug-associated cues or environments that were previously associated with drug taking can trigger relapse during abstinence. Moreover, various environmental challenges can exacerbate this effect, as well as increase ongoing drug intake. The procedure we describe here highlights the impact of a common environmental challenge, food restriction, on drug craving that is expressed as an augmentation of drug seeking in abstinent rats.

Is it stress? The role of stress related systems in chronic food restriction-induced augmentation of heroin seeking in the rat.

Drug addiction is a chronic disease characterized by recurring episodes of abstinence and relapse. The precise mechanisms underlying this pattern are yet to be elucidated, but stress is thought to be a major factor in relapse. Recently, we reported that rats under withdrawal and exposed to a mild chronic stressor, prolonged food restriction, show increased heroin seeking compared to sated controls.

Antagonism of the dopamine D1-like receptor in mesocorticolimbic nuclei attenuates acute food deprivation-induced reinstatement of heroin seeking in rats.

The neurotransmitter dopamine (DA) plays a critical role in both priming-and cue-induced reinstatement of extinguished drug-seeking behavior, but its role in stress-induced reinstatement is less clear. Our laboratory has recently demonstrated that systemic administration of the DA D1-like receptor antagonist, SCH 23390, attenuates acute food deprivation (FD) stress-induced reinstatement. The current study was designed to elucidate the brain regions critical to the effect of SCH 23390 on FD stress-induced reinstatement.

The effects of chronic food restriction on cue-induced heroin seeking in abstinent male rats.

Rationale And Objectives: Previous research with an animal model of relapse has shown that acute food deprivation will reinstate extinguished drug seeking. Recent evidence with humans, however, suggests that chronic food restriction rather than acute food deprivation is related to increases in drug taking and relapse, emphasizing a need for an animal model to elucidate the neural mechanisms mediating the effects of chronic food restriction on drug seeking. Here we studied the effects of chronic food restriction during a period of abstinence on heroin seeking in rats.

A limited role for ghrelin in heroin self-administration and food deprivation-induced reinstatement of heroin seeking in rats.

Food deprivation (FD) or restriction augments the locomotor activating and reinforcing effects of drugs of abuse. It has been proposed that these effects might be mediated by FD-induced increase in plasma levels of ghrelin, a 28-amino acid orexigenic peptide demonstrated to functionally interact with the mesolimbic dopaminergic system. However, a role for ghrelin has been demonstrated only with psychostimulant drugs and alcohol associated behaviors.

A role for neuropeptide Y Y5 but not the Y1-receptor subtype in food deprivation-induced reinstatement of heroin seeking in the rat.

Rational And Objectives: Neuropeptide Y (NPY), an orexigenic peptide that is released during periods of food restriction, has been shown to have a significant modulatory impact on drug-related behaviors. We have previously reported that both acute food deprivation (FD) and NPY injections can reinstate extinguished drug-seeking behavior, a proposed animal model of relapse to drug abuse. However, it is not clear whether the FD effect on drug seeking is dependent on NPY transmission.