Cannabinoid CB1 Receptors within Nucleus Accumbens Shell Are Not Involved in Stress-Induced Reinstatement in Extinguished Cocaine? Conditioned Animals

GUZMAN AS; DE GIOVANNI L; AVALOS MP; BOLLATI FA; VIRGOLINI MB; CANCELA LM

MAR DEL PLATA

Congreso; XXX Annual Meeting and SAN-ISN Small Conference and Course; 2015

SAN

Endocannabinoid system, primarily through their actions at CB1 receptor (CB1R), isimplicated in drug relapse. Previous results from our lab demonstrated that in extinguishedcocaine-conditioned animals, evaluated in a conditioned place preference test (CPP), theadministration of AM251, a CB1R antagonist, or ACEA, a CB1R agonist, into the Core of theNucleus Accumbens (NAc) abrogated or facilitated restraint stress-induced reinstatementof cocaine-CPP responses, respectively. In order to compare the involvement of both NAccompartments, extinguished cocaine-conditioned Wistar rats were microinjected into theShell of NAc with ACEA (0.01fmol/side), AM251 (10ug/side) or vehicle, and subsequentlyassigned to the following treatments: 1) Stressed Animals (SA): 15 or 30 min-restraintexposure, depending on the experiment, and 2) Control Animals (CA). The intra-Shelladministration of CB1R antagonist or agonist did not modify the restraint stress-inducedreinstatement of cocaine-CPP responses as previously observed after intra-Coreadministration of CB1R ligands. These findings support the hypothesis of the preferentialinfluence of CB1R within NAc Core, but not Shell, in the reinstatement of cocaine seekingbehavior. Future studies will attempt to identify a possible glutamate dependentmechanism underpinning the effects of CB1R ligands on the restraint stress-inducedreinstatement of cocaine-CPP responses.