Source Paper
Direct Interactions between the Basolateral Amygdala and Nucleus Accumbens Core Underlie Cocaine-Seeking Behavior by Rats
Patricia Di Ciano, Barry J. Everitt
Journal of Neuroscience • 2004
Cocaine Self-Administration with Conditioned Reinforcers
Objective: To investigate the functional importance of amygdala-nucleus accumbens interactions in cocaine seeking under the control of drug-associated conditioned reinforcers using a second-order schedule of reinforcement
This is a Cocaine Self-Administration with Conditioned Reinforcers protocol using rat as the model organism. The procedure involves 4 procedural steps, 1 equipment items, 3 materials. Extracted from a 2004 paper published in Journal of Neuroscience.
Model and subjects
rat • Not specified • unknown • Not specified • Not specified
Study window
Estimated timing pending
Core workflow
Establish cocaine self-administration baseline • Unilateral dopamine antagonist infusion with contralateral AMPA-KA antagonist infusion • Bilateral dopamine antagonist infusion into amygdala
Primary readouts
- Cocaine-seeking behavior under control of drug-associated conditioned stimuli
- Effects of disconnection between basolateral amygdala and nucleus accumbens core on stimulus-controlled cocaine seeking
Key equipment and reagents
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Protocol Steps
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Establish cocaine self-administration baseline
Rats perform operant responses to obtain cocaine under second-order schedules of reinforcement with drug-associated conditioned stimuli
Note: This establishes the baseline cocaine-seeking behavior controlled by conditioned reinforcers
View evidence from paper
“Rats perform operant responses to obtain cocaine under the control of drug-associated conditioned stimuli using second-order schedules”
Unilateral dopamine antagonist infusion with contralateral AMPA-KA antagonist infusion
Infuse dopamine receptor antagonist unilaterally into basolateral amygdala and AMPA-kainate receptor antagonist into contralateral nucleus accumbens core
Note: Neither drug alone had effect on its own; combined infusions greatly reduced cocaine seeking
View evidence from paper
“infusing a dopamine receptor antagonist unilaterally into the basolateral amygdala (which had no effect on its own) and an AMPA-kainate (KA) receptor antagonist into the contralateral nucleus accumbens core (which also had no effect on its own) greatly reduced cocaine seeking”
Bilateral dopamine antagonist infusion into amygdala
Infuse dopamine receptor antagonist bilaterally into the basolateral amygdala
Note: Bilateral amygdala infusions greatly reduced cocaine seeking
View evidence from paper
“bilateral infusions of the DA receptor antagonist into the amygdala, but not nucleus accumbens, or of the AMPA-KA receptor antagonist in the nucleus accumbens, but not the amygdala, also greatly reduced cocaine seeking”
Bilateral AMPA-KA antagonist infusion into nucleus accumbens
Infuse AMPA-kainate receptor antagonist bilaterally into the nucleus accumbens core
Note: Bilateral nucleus accumbens infusions greatly reduced cocaine seeking
View evidence from paper
“bilateral infusions of the DA receptor antagonist into the amygdala, but not nucleus accumbens, or of the AMPA-KA receptor antagonist in the nucleus accumbens, but not the amygdala, also greatly reduced cocaine seeking”