Complementary tasks to measure working memory in distinct prefrontal cortex subregions in rats.

Acquisition of odor-guided or visually-guided delayed win-shift behavior was evaluated in rats after lidocaine-induced inactivation within the agranular insular area of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) or the prelimbic area of the PFC. Additional sites and tasks were used to control for neuroanatomical and behavioral specificity of lidocaine inactivation of the agranular insular and prelimbic areas. Results showed that acquisition of the odor-guided delayed win-shift task was dependent on the agranular insular area, whereas acquisition of the visually-guided version was dependent on the prelimbic area.

Hippocampal memory system function and the regulation of cocaine self-administration behavior in rats.

There is considerable interest in elucidating neurocognitive mechanisms of cocaine addiction. This report focuses on the hippocampal memory system. Using food reward, two cognitive tasks were examined after lidocaine inactivation of the dorsal (dSUB) or ventral (vSUB) subiculum, the primary hippocampal output regions in rats.

Stimulus-response functions of the lateral dorsal striatum and regulation of behavior studied in a cocaine maintenance/cue reinstatement model in rats.

Rationale: To investigate potential neurocognitive mechanisms underlying drug-seeking and drug-taking behavior, the effects of reversible lidocaine-induced inactivation of the lateral dorsal striatum (DST) on behavior studied in a drug maintenance/cue reinstatement model were evaluated. This region of the DST was investigated because it selectively regulates stimulus-response learning that is disrupted by 10 microg of bilaterally infused lidocaine.

Methods: Rats ( n=6) were trained to self-administer 1 mg/kg per infusion cocaine under a second-order schedule of drug delivery.

Dissociable effects of lidocaine inactivation of the rostral and caudal basolateral amygdala on the maintenance and reinstatement of cocaine-seeking behavior in rats.

Cocaine addiction is a chronically relapsing brain disease, but its neural basis is not yet well understood. Clinical reports underscore the possible importance of associative processes for regulating at least some aspects of cocaine addiction. The present study reports the effects of reversible lidocaine-induced inactivation of rostral basolateral amygdala (rBLA) and caudal basolateral amygdala (cBLA) regions on the maintenance and reinstatement of drug-seeking behavior in rats trained to self-administer 1 mg/kg cocaine under a second order schedule of drug delivery.

Temporal factors affecting cocaine-opioid interactions: a cocaine drug discrimination study in rats.

Rationale: Increasing concomitant abuse of cocaine and morphine-like opioids has prompted a number of studies aimed at understanding how these drugs interact.

Objective: The present study was designed to determine if variations in opioid pretreatment time would affect how mu opioid agonists interact with cocaine.

Methods: Rats were trained to discriminate 10 mg/kg cocaine from saline.