CB1 Receptors: Cocaine Reinforcement and Relapse

描述（由申请人提供）：转基因小鼠的发展为研究药物滥用的强化和成瘾方面的神经生物学机制提供了一种新的方法。例如，CB1受体发生改变的小鼠可以用来评估这些受体在药物滥用强化效应中的作用。尽管存在完善的自我给药模型来研究大鼠滥用药物的强化效应，但很少有针对小鼠的自我给药模型，即使存在，也没有在广泛的条件下探索药物自我给药。因此，目前的提案有两个目标。其中一个目标是开发小鼠自我给药程序，用于评估长期药物暴露对可卡因强化效应的影响，以及在药物剥夺期后恢复（或复发）的过程。第二个目标是使用这套程序来评估CB1受体系统在可卡因强化效应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.