| First Author | Ozburn AR | Year | 2012 |
| Journal | Psychopharmacology (Berl) | Volume | 223 |
| Issue | 2 | Pages | 169-77 |
| PubMed ID | 22535308 | Mgi Jnum | J:322671 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:6879677 | Doi | 10.1007/s00213-012-2704-2 |
| Citation | Ozburn AR, et al. (2012) Cocaine self-administration behaviors in ClockDelta19 mice. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 223(2):169-77 |
| abstractText | RATIONALE: A key role has been identified for the circadian locomotor output cycles kaput (Clock) gene in the regulation of drug reward. Mice bearing a dominant negative mutation in the Clock gene (ClockDelta19 mice) exhibit increased cocaine-induced conditioned place preference, reduced anxiety- and depression-like behavior, increased sensitivity to intracranial self-stimulation, and increased dopaminergic cell activity in the ventral tegmental area. OBJECTIVES: We sought to determine if this hyperhedonic phenotype extends to cocaine self-administration and measures of motivation. METHODS: Two separate serial testing procedures were carried out (n = 7-10/genotype/schedule). Testing began with acquisition of sucrose pellet self-administration, implantation of intravenous catheter, acquisition of cocaine self-administration, and dose-response testing (fixed ratio or progressive ratio). To evaluate diurnal variations in acquisition behavior, these sessions occurred at Zeitgeber 2 (ZT2) or ZT14. RESULTS: WT and ClockDelta19 mice exhibited similar learning and readily acquired food self-administration at both ZT2 and ZT14. However, only ClockDelta19 mice acquired cocaine self-administration at ZT2. A greater percentage of ClockDelta19 mice reached acquisition criteria at ZT2 and ZT14. ClockDelta19 mice self-administered more cocaine than WT mice. Using fixed ratio and progressive ratio schedules of reinforcement dose-response paradigms, we found that cocaine is a more efficacious reinforcer in ClockDelta19 mice than in WT mice. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate that the Clock gene plays an important role in cocaine reinforcement and that decreased CLOCK function increases vulnerability for cocaine use. |
