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Incentive salience of cocaine across the postpartum period of the female rat

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Abstract

Rationale–Objectives

Our prior conditioned place preference (CPP) work demonstrates that late (day16) postpartum female rats consistently prefer cocaine- over pup-associated chambers, whereas far fewer early postpartum (day8) females prefer the cocaine-associated chamber. The present study examines early and late postpartum females’ preference for a cocaine-associated chamber when contrasted with a chamber associated with saline (rather than pups).

Materials and methods

Postpartum females were tested for conditioned preference for chambers associated with cocaine (10 mg/kg subcutaneous (SC) or 0.5, 5, 10, or 20 mg/kg intraperitoneal (IP) injections) versus saline; preferences of virgin female and male rats for select cocaine stimuli (10mg/kg SC or IP) were also tested. Locomotion was recorded during CPP conditioning and testing.

Results

Early and late postpartum females expressed strikingly similar preference for the cocaine-associated chamber across all administration routes and doses. IP cocaine produced an orderly, inverted U-shaped dose-preference curve, with preference peaking at the 5 mg/kg dose (83% of females). While many postpartum females preferred 10mg/kg cocaine administered either SC or IP, both virgin females and males expressed strong aversion to SC cocaine and, while virgin females strongly preferred IP cocaine, males remained relatively indifferent. Across 10mg/kg IP cocaine-conditioning sessions, locomotor sensitization occurred exclusively in cocaine- but not saline-preferring postpartum females. Locomotor rate was lower in preferred versus nonpreferred chambers at CPP test.

Conclusions

Early and late postpartum females may be equally and uniquely susceptible to sampling and/or abuse of modestly salient doses of cocaine (10mg/kg SC; 5mg/kg IP) compared to virgin females and/or males.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by National Institutes of Health DA014025 and March of Dimes #12FY02-05-103 and #12FY05-06-134 awarded to J.I.M. The authors thank the Laboratory Animal Facility staff at Rutgers University, Newark, NJ, USA for animal breeding and care. All experiments described herein comply with the current laws of the country in which they were performed. The authors have no conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise, pertaining to any aspect of the work reported in this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University, 197 University Avenue, Newark, NJ, 07102, USA

    Katharine M. Seip, Mariana Pereira, Michael P. Wansaw, Jenny I. Reiss, Eugenia I. Dziopa & Joan I. Morrell

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  1. Katharine M. Seip
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  2. Mariana Pereira
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  3. Michael P. Wansaw
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  4. Jenny I. Reiss
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  5. Eugenia I. Dziopa
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  6. Joan I. Morrell
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Correspondence to Katharine M. Seip.

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Seip, K.M., Pereira, M., Wansaw, M.P. et al. Incentive salience of cocaine across the postpartum period of the female rat. Psychopharmacology 199, 119–130 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-008-1140-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-008-1140-9

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