Female Japanese quail with high levels of estradiol demonstrate cocaine-induced conditioned place preference
Abstract
Preclinical research has indicated that females may be more sensitive to the rewarding properties of cocaine. However, the majority of this research has been done in rodent species. Environmental cues associated with human drug-taking behavior tend to be visual. Since rodents do not rely on the visual system as their primary sense modality, the use of a visually-oriented species may add to our understanding of cue-elicited drug cravings and relapse. The present study examined the potential role of the steroid hormone, estradiol, in the rewarding properties of cocaine in female Japanese quail using a conditioned place preference (CPP) procedure. In the current experiment, female quail were housed on either an 8L:16D (light:dark) or 16L:8D (light:dark) cycle for 21 days to induce photoregression or photostimulation, respectively. They then received 10, 20, or 30 mg/kg cocaine, or saline during conditioning. Conditioning trials were carried out for 8 days, once per day for 30 min, for a total of 4 cocaine and 4 saline alternating conditioning trials. Results indicated that female quail housed in long-light conditions (16L:8D) had significantly higher levels of estradiol than short-cycle females. Additionally, photostimulated female quail developed a CPP to 10 and 20 mg/kg cocaine. Short-cycle females did not show cocaine-induced CPP to any dose tested. Results indicate that cocaine is dose-dependently rewarding to photostimulated female Japanese quail. Furthermore, the current findings suggest that estradiol may enhance the rewarding properties of cocaine in female quail.
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Estradiol
Karin E. Gill,a,* Anna R. Reynolds,b Mark A. Prendergast,b and Chana K. Akinsb
Author Information
a. Dept of Behavioral Neuroscience, Centre College, Danville, KY 40422
b. Dept of Psychology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506
Karin E. Gill: [email protected]; Anna R. Reynolds: [email protected]; Mark A. Prendergast: ude.yku@rednerp; Chana K. Akins: ude.yku@1nikakc
*Address correspondence to: Karin E. Gill, Young Hall, 218, Centre College, 600 W. Walnut Street, Danville, KY 40422, [email protected], Phone: (859) 238-6513, Fax: (859) 236-7925
Published online 2016 Mar 10.
Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4891236/
by Gary Khodanian | Mar 10, 2016