CB1 Receptors: Cocaine Reinforcement and Relapse

描述（由申请人提供）：基因改变小鼠的开发提供了一种新的方法来检查滥用药物的强化和成瘾方面的神经生物学机制。例如，CB1受体被改变的小鼠可用于评估这些受体在滥用药物的强化作用中的作用。虽然有完善的自我给药模型可用于检查药物滥用对大鼠的强化作用，但很少有为小鼠开发的自我给药模型，而且即使有，也没有在广泛的条件下探索药物自我给药。因此，目前的建议有两个目标。这些目标之一是开发小鼠自我给药程序，可用于评估长期接触毒品对可卡因强化作用的影响以及在药物剥夺期后恢复（或复发）的过程。第二个目标是采用这套程序来评估CB1受体系统在可卡因的强化作用和可卡因寻求复发中的作用。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The development of genetically altered mice provides a novel way to examine the neurobiological mechanisms underlying both the reinforcing and addictive aspects of drugs of abuse. For example, mice in which the CB1 receptor has been altered can be used to assess the role of these receptors in the reinforcing effects of drugs of abuse. Although well-developed self-administration models exist for examining the reinforcing effects of drugs of abuse in rats, very few self-administration models have been developed for mice and those that do exist have not explored drug self-administration under an extensive range of conditions. Therefore, the current proposal has two goals. One of those goals is to develop drug self-administration procedures in mice that can be used to assess the consequences of prolonged drug exposure on the reinforcing effects of cocaine as well as the process of reinstatement (or relapse) following periods of drug deprivation. The second goal is to employ this set of procedures to assess the role of the CB1 receptor system in cocaine's reinforcing effects and relapse to cocaine seeking.