 |
Previous Article | Next Article 
The Journal of Neuroscience, September 1, 2002, 22(17):7687-7694
Metabolic Mapping of the Effects of Cocaine during the Initial
Phases of Self-Administration in the Nonhuman Primate
Linda J.
Porrino,
David
Lyons,
Mack D.
Miller,
Hilary
R.
Smith,
David P.
Friedman,
James B.
Daunais, and
Michael A.
Nader
Center for the Neurobiological Investigation of Drug Abuse,
Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Wake Forest University
School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27157
 |
ABSTRACT |
Because most human studies of the neurobiological substrates of the
effects of cocaine have been performed with drug-dependent subjects,
little information is available about the effects of cocaine in the
initial phases of drug use before neuroadaptations to chronic exposure
have developed. The purpose of the present study, therefore, was to
define the substrates that mediate the initial effects of cocaine in a
nonhuman primate model of cocaine self-administration using the
2-[14C]deoxyglucose method. Rhesus monkeys were
trained to self-administer 0.03 mg/kg per injection
(N = 4) or 0.3 mg/kg per injection
(N = 4) cocaine and compared with monkeys trained
to respond under an identical schedule of food reinforcement
(N = 4). Monkeys received 30 reinforcers per
session, and metabolic mapping was conducted at the end of the fifth
self-administration session. Cocaine self-administration reduced
glucose utilization in the mesolimbic system, including the ventral
tegmental area, ventral striatum, and medial prefrontal cortex. In
addition, metabolic activity was increased in the dorsolateral and
dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, as well as in the mediodorsal nucleus of
the thalamus. These latter effects are distinctly different from those
seen after the noncontingent administration of cocaine, suggesting that
self-administration engages circuits beyond those engaged merely by the
pharmacological actions of cocaine. The involvement of cortical areas
subserving working memory suggests that strong associations between
cocaine and the internal and external environment are formed from the
very outset of cocaine self-administration. The assessment of the
effects of cocaine at a time not readily evaluated in humans provides a
baseline from which the effects of chronic cocaine exposure can be investigated.
Key words:
cocaine; prefrontal cortex; striatum; nucleus accumbens; self-administration; rhesus monkeys
 |
INTRODUCTION |
In recent years neuroimaging studies
have provided substantial information about the underlying neural
substrates of the effects of cocaine in humans. Studies using such
strategies have made central contributions toward the identification of
the specific neural circuits and neurotransmitters subserving the
distinct functional responses associated with discrete aspects of
addiction. The majority of studies investigating the neurobiological
basis of the effects of cocaine in humans have been performed with
cocaine-dependent subjects, at times in active treatment programs.
Because substantial structural and functional changes are thought to
accompany chronic cocaine use (for review, see Strickland et al., 1998 ;
Volkow et al., 1999 ; Kaufman and Levin, 2001 ), the functional responses of chronic drug abusers used in most human studies are likely to be
quite different from those of subjects with minimal drug exposure. Few
studies, however, have been performed in human subjects with little or
no drug experience. Without an evaluation of the functional response to
cocaine in the earliest stages of drug exposure, it is not possible to
understand the basis for the transition from casual drug use to addiction.
An alternate approach to studies in humans is the use of animal models
in which carefully controlled experiments can be conducted. Studies in
our laboratory (Lyons et al., 1996 ; Porrino and Lyons, 2000 ) have shown
that the acute administration of cocaine to monkeys significantly
alters rates of cerebral metabolism in limbic brain regions, including
medial and orbitofrontal cortex, medial temporal areas, striatum, and
anterior thalamus. Although these studies demonstrated that exposure to
cocaine produces a discrete pattern of neural activation in animals
that had not previously been exposed to cocaine, cocaine was
administered noncontingently.
Self-administration of drugs as compared with their passive or
noncontingent administration facilitates the effects of rewarding electrical stimulation (Moolten and Kornetsky, 1990 ), as well as
decreases the stress associated with drug administration (Dworkin et
al., 1995 ; Mutschler and Miczek, 1998 ). Similarly, dopamine levels are
augmented in both the nucleus accumbens (Hemby et al., 1997 ) and
amygdala (Wilson et al., 1994 ) after cocaine self-administration as
compared with yoked controls receiving cocaine passively. Moreover, rats self-administering cocaine displayed a pattern of glucose utilization that is significantly different from animals receiving equivalent amounts of cocaine noncontingently (Graham and Porrino, 1995 ). These issues have been circumvented in the present study by use
of cocaine self-administration.
The purpose of the present study was to characterize the effects of
reinforcing doses of cocaine on cerebral metabolism in a nonhuman
primate model of cocaine self-administration, using the quantitative
2-[14C]deoxyglucose (2-DG) method. In
this report we describe the findings from experiments in which monkeys
self-administered cocaine for only 5 d, a model of the earliest
stages of cocaine exposure, a time when adaptational responses to
chronic drug exposure are most likely to be minimal. A second purpose
of these studies was to determine the role of the dose of
self-administered cocaine in determining the pattern of changes in
rates of glucose utilization. Groups of monkeys self-administered
either a dose of cocaine (0.03 mg/kg per injection) that maintained
peak response rates or a dose (0.3 mg/kg per injection) on the
descending limb of the dose-response curve and were compared with
control monkeys in which responding was maintained by food presentation
under the same schedule of reinforcement.
 |
MATERIALS AND METHODS |
Subjects. Twelve experimentally naive adult male
rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) weighing between 7.6 and
11.5 kg (mean ± SD; 9.5 ± 1.04) at the start of the study
served as subjects. Monkeys were individually housed in stainless steel
cages with water available ad libitum; animals had physical
and visual contact with each other. Their body weights were maintained
at ~90-95% of free-feeding weights by banana-flavored pellets
earned during the experimental sessions and by supplemental feeding of
Lab Diet Monkey Chow (PMI Nutrition International, Brentwood,
MO), provided no sooner than 30 min after the session. All
procedures were performed in accordance with established practices as
described in the National Institutes of Health Guide for Care and Use
of Laboratory Animals. In addition, all procedures were reviewed and
approved by the Animal Care and Use Committee of Wake Forest University.
Behavioral apparatus. Cocaine self-administration and
food-reinforced responding occurred in ventilated and sound-attenuated operant chambers (1.5 × 0.74 × 0.76 m; MedAssociates,
East Fairfield, VT) designed to accommodate a primate chair (model
R001; Primate Products, Redwood City, CA). The chamber contained an
intelligence panel (48 × 69 cm), located on the right side and
consisted of two retractable levers (5-cm-wide) and three stimulus
lights. The levers were positioned within easy reach of the monkey
sitting in the primate chair. One gram food pellets were delivered from a feeder located on the top of the chamber. For cocaine
self-administering animals, a peristaltic infusion pump (7531-10;
Cole-Parmer Co., Chicago, IL) delivered drug injections at a rate of
~1 ml/10 sec. Operation of the chambers and data acquisition were
accomplished with a Power Macintosh computer system with an interface (MedAssociates).
Surgical procedures. All monkeys, including controls, were
surgically prepared, under sterile conditions, with an indwelling intravenous catheter and vascular access port (model GPV; Access Technologies, Skokie, IL). Monkeys were anesthetized with a combination of ketamine (15 mg/kg, i.m.) and butorphanol (0.03 mg/kg, i.m.), and an
incision was made near the femoral vein. After blunt dissection and
isolation of the vein, the proximal end of the catheter was inserted
into the vein for a distance calculated to terminate in the vena cava.
The distal end of the catheter was threaded subcutaneously to an
incision made slightly off the midline of the back. The vascular access
port was placed within a pocket formed by blunt dissection near the
incision. Before each experimental session, the back of the animal was
cleaned with 95% ethanol and betadine scrub, and a 22 gauge
Huber Point Needle (model PG20-125) was inserted into the port leading
to the venous catheter, connecting an infusion pump, containing the
cocaine solution, to the catheter. Before the start of the session, the
pump was operated for ~3 sec, filling the port with the dose of
cocaine that was available during the experimental session. At the end
of each session, the port was filled with heparinized saline (100 U/ml)
to help prevent clotting. In addition at the time of the venous
catheterization, each monkey was implanted with a chronic indwelling
catheter into the adjacent femoral artery for collection of timed
arterial blood samples during the 2-DG procedure. The surgical
procedures were identical to those described for the venous catheters.
Self-administration procedures. Monkeys were initially
trained to respond on one of two levers by reinforcing each response on
the correct lever with a 1 gm banana-flavored pellet. Over approximately a 3 week period the interval between availability of food
pellets was gradually increased until a 3 min interval was achieved
(i.e., fixed interval, 3 min schedule; FI 3 min). Under the final
schedule conditions, the first response on the lever after 3 min
resulted in the delivery of a food pellet; sessions ended after 30 food
presentations. At the end of each session, the response levers were
retracted, house lights and stimulus lights were extinguished, and
animals remained in the darkened chamber for 30 min before they were
returned to their home cages. All monkeys responded under the FI 3 min
schedule of food presentation for at least 20 sessions and until stable
performance was obtained (±20% of the mean for three consecutive
sessions, with no trends in response rates). When food-maintained
responding was stable, the feeder was unplugged, and the effects of
extinction on responding were examined for 5 consecutive sessions,
after which responding was re-established and maintained by food presentation.
After baseline performance had been established, all monkeys were
surgically prepared with venous and arterial catheters, as described
above, and randomly assigned to one of three groups. One group of
monkeys served as controls (n = 4) and continued to
respond under the FI 3 min schedule of food presentation. The remaining
eight monkeys were assigned (n = 4/group) to either a
low-dose cocaine self-administration group (0.03 mg/kg per injection) or a high-dose cocaine self-administration group (0.3 mg/kg per injection). Food-maintained performance was allowed to stabilize after
surgery (~4-6 d) before cocaine self-administration sessions were
begun. All sessions ended after animals obtained 30 reinforcers. As
during training, animals remained in the darkened experimental chambers
with levers retracted for 30 min after the final reinforcer was
obtained. Daily experimental sessions, conducted at approximately the
same time each day, continued for 5 d. At the end of the session on day 5, the 2-DG procedure was conducted.
Measurement of local cerebral glucose utilization. For these
experiments, the animals' catheters exited through an opening in the
rear of the chamber, allowing all infusions and sampling to be
accomplished remotely with minimum disruption to the animal. The 2-DG
procedure was initiated at the end of the last session, 2 min into the
time out by the infusion of an intravenous pulse of 75 µCi/kg
2-deoxy-D-[14C]glucose
(DuPont NEN, Boston, MA; specific activity 50-55 mCi/mmol) followed by
a flush of heparinized saline. Timed arterial blood samples were drawn
thereafter at a schedule sufficient to define the time course of the
arterial 2-[14C]deoxyglucose and glucose
concentrations. Arterial blood samples were centrifuged immediately.
Plasma 14C concentrations were determined
by liquid scintillation spectrophotometry (Beckman Instruments,
Fullerton, CA), and plasma glucose concentrations were assessed using a
glucose analyzer (Beckman Instruments). The animals were killed by an
intravenous overdose of sodium pentobarbital (100 mg/kg) ~45 min
after tracer injection. Brains were removed rapidly, blocked in three
parts, frozen in isopentane ( 45°C), and stored at 70°C until
they were processed for autoradiography. Coronal sections
(20-µm-thick) were cut in a cryostat maintained at 22°C. Four of
every 20 sections were thaw-mounted on glass coverslips, dried on a hot
plate, and apposed to Kodak (Rochester, NY) MR-1 film for 15-30 d,
along with a set of
[14C]methylmethacrylate standard
(Amersham, Arlington Heights, IL) previously calibrated for their
equivalent 14C concentration in 20 µm
brain sections. Autoradiograms were developed in Kodak GBX developer,
indicator stop bath, and rapid fix at 68°C.
Quantitative densitometry of autoradiograms was accomplished with a
computer-assisted image-processing system (Imaging Research, St.
Catharines, Ontario, Canada). Optical density measurements for each
structure were made in a minimum of eight brain sections. Measurements
were made bilaterally and averaged across hemispheres. Tissue
14C concentrations were determined from
the optical densities and a calibration curve obtained by densitometric
analysis of the autoradiograms of the calibrated standards. Glucose
utilization was then calculated using the operational equation of the
method (Sokoloff et al., 1977 ), local-tissue
14C concentrations, the time course of the
plasma 2-[14C]deoxyglucose and glucose
concentrations, and the appropriate kinetic constants (Kennedy et al.,
1978 ). Because of differences in the baseline levels of glycemia in
some animals, the lumped constant was adjusted appropriate to the
glucose levels according to procedures based on previous work (Kennedy
et al., 1978 ; Schuier et al., 1990 ; Suda et al., 1990 ). Identification
of brain structures was accomplished by comparison with adjacent
thionin-stained sections.
Statistical analysis. Standard statistics software (SPSS for
Windows, Chicago, IL) was used for statistical analysis. Response rates
maintained by food and cocaine are presented as the mean (± SEM) for
all monkeys in a group. Data were analyzed using repeated measures
ANOVA. Rates of glucose utilization were measured in 57 discrete
brain regions. Global rates of cerebral metabolism were estimated as
the mean (weighted by region size) of all measured cerebral regions.
Global rates were analyzed by means of a one-way ANOVA. Values of rates
of local cerebral glucose utilization obtained for each individual
cerebral structure were analyzed by means of a one-way ANOVA followed
by least squares difference test for multiple comparisons comparing
values of glucose utilization of each group self-administering either
0.03 or 0.3 mg/kg per injection cocaine to values of rates of glucose
utilization of food-reinforced controls.
 |
RESULTS |
Behavior
All monkeys were trained to respond under an FI-3 min schedule of
food presentation. There were no differences in baseline response rates
among the groups (Table 1). After ~3
weeks of responding under this schedule, the pellet dispenser was
unplugged, and responding extinguished over five consecutive sessions,
during which time response rates decreased in all monkeys. After
extinction, food-maintained responding was re-established, after which
time each monkey was surgically prepared with indwelling intravenous and intra-arterial catheters. Cocaine self-administration at either 0.03 mg/kg per injection or 0.3 mg/kg per injection was initiated in
two of the groups. This was accomplished by substituting cocaine for
food presentation. Self-administration sessions continued for five
daily sessions. For the four control monkeys, responding continued to
be maintained by food presentation.
After 5 d of cocaine exposure, the mean rate of responding
maintained by 0.03 mg/kg per injection was 3.3 responses/min compared with a mean rate of 0.5 responses/min maintained by 0.3 mg/kg per
injection (Table 1), whereas the mean rate of responding maintained by
food in the control group was 3.1 responses/min. These rates were
significantly different from each other
(F(2,9) = 9.16; p < 0.05). Mean session length during the 5 d of cocaine exposure was
143.4 min for food controls and 150.0 min for monkeys self-administering 0.03 mg/kg per injection as compared with 235.5 min
for monkeys self-administering 0.3 mg/kg per injection. Session length
was significantly longer in this latter group than in the other two
groups (Table 1).
For the monkeys self-administering 0.03 mg/kg per injection cocaine,
rates of responding were significantly higher than response rates
during extinction (Table 1), indicating that responding was indeed
maintained by cocaine presentation. Response rates by monkeys
self-administering the higher dose were low, as would be expected for a
dose on the descending limb of the cocaine dose-response curve. Over
the five consecutive sessions that cocaine was available, each monkey
received the maximum number of injections per session (i.e., 30), which
totaled, over the course of the study, 4.5 and 45 mg/kg cocaine for the
low- and high-dose groups, respectively. A more detailed analysis of
these data has been previously reported (Nader et al., 2002 ).
Local cerebral glucose utilization
Rates of local cerebral glucose metabolism for the 57 brain
regions examined are shown in Table 2.
Global rates of metabolism did not differ significantly across groups:
food control, 36.6 ± 1.6; cocaine self-administration (0.03 mg/kg
per injection), 35.8 ± 1.0; and cocaine self-administration (0.3 mg/kg per injection), 36.1 ± 0.8. Although there were no overall
global changes, significant differences in rates of glucose utilization
were detected in 12 of 57 discrete brain regions in the low dose
self-administration group and 21 of 57 regions analyzed in the higher
dose self-administration group, when rates were compared with rates of
food-reinforced control monkeys. These differences are described in
detail below.
View this table:
[in this window]
[in a new window]
|
Table 2.
Effects of cocaine self-administration on rates of local
cerebral glucose utilization in rhesus
monkeysa
|
|
Mesolimbic system and related limbic structures
Nomenclature for and identifications of structures within the
mesolimbic system were according to the atlas of Paxinos et al. (2000) ,
as well as reports of Haber et al. (1995) , Haber and McFarland (1999) ,
Martin et al. (1991) , and Amaral et al. (1992) .
Self-administration of the lower dose of cocaine (0.03 mg/kg per
injection) significantly decreased rates of cerebral glucose utilization throughout the ventral striatum and other related limbic
areas. These included the rostral portions of the nucleus accumbens
( 20.4%), the shell of the nucleus accumbens ( 13.5%), as well as
the olfactory tubercle ( 19.6%). Glucose utilization was also
decreased in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis ( 19.8%) and the
lateral preoptic nucleus ( 14.7%). In contrast, self-administration
of the lower dose of cocaine did not significantly alter glucose
utilization in any portion of the septum nor amygdala, or in any other
portion of the hypothalamus or the ventral tegmental area (Table
2).
Self-administration of the higher dose of cocaine (0.3 mg/kg per
injection) significantly decreased rates of cerebral glucose utilization in all portions of the nucleus accumbens (Fig.
1) including, rostral ( 21.5%), shell
( 27%), and core ( 22.6%), as well as in the olfactory tubercle
( 25.5%). Self-administration of this dose of cocaine also decreased
glucose utilization in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis
( 23.8%) and the ventral tegmental area ( 9.8%). Similar to the
effects of the self-administration of the lower dose, glucose
utilization was not significantly altered in any portion of the septum,
nor amygdala, nor hypothalamus (Table 2).

View larger version (115K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
|
Figure 1.
Areas of cerebral metabolic response produced by
self-administered cocaine in the striatum of rhesus monkey. Shown are
representative autoradiograms of
2-[14C]deoxyglucose uptake in coronal sections at
a caudal level of the precommissural striatum, +2.5 from bregma
(Paxinos et al., 2000 ). Areas shown in blue depict those
areas in which significant decreases in rates of glucose utilization
were measured. sh, Nucleus accumbens-shell;
co, nucleus accumbens-core; ot, olfactory
tubercle; cc, caudal caudate; cp, caudal
putamen.
|
|
Basal ganglia and related structures
Nomenclature and identification of structures within the basal
ganglia were according to the atlas of Paxinos et al. (2000) . Self-administration of the lower dose of cocaine (0.03 mg/kg per injection) significantly decreased rates of cerebral glucose
utilization throughout the caudate nucleus as measured in both the
rostral ( 22.2%) and caudal ( 15.7%) portions of the precommissural
striatum, levels at which the nucleus accumbens was represented.
Self-administration of this dose of cocaine did not alter rates of
glucose utilization in any other portion of the basal ganglia (Table
2).
Self-administration of the higher dose of cocaine (0.3 mg/kg per
injection) significantly decreased glucose utilization in the
precommissural caudate nucleus (rostral, 19.2%; caudal, 18.7%), as did self-administration of the lower dose (Fig. 1), but in contrast
to the lower dose also significantly elevated rates of glucose
utilization in both the internal (+31.5%) and external (+22.5%)
globus pallidus. Elevated rates were also observed in the substantia
nigra pars reticulata (+10.0%) and the red nucleus (+32.5%). No other
significant alterations in glucose utilization were noted throughout
other portions of the basal ganglia.
Thalamus
Nomenclature for and identification of thalamic nuclei was
according to Olzewski (1952) . Self-administration of the lower dose of
cocaine (0.03 mg/kg per injection) produced robust increases in
cerebral metabolism in the mediodorsal nucleus of the thalamus. Elevated rates were observed in both the magnocellular (+21.5%) and
parvicellular (+25%) divisions. In addition, glucose utilization was
increased in the parafascicular nucleus (+21.4%). Similar to the lower
dose, self-administration of the higher dose of cocaine also produced
increased rates of cerebral metabolism within the magnocellular
(+35.8%) and parvicellular (+43.3%) divisions of the mediodorsal
thalamus (Fig. 2, Table 2). Significant
increases were also noted in the anterior ventral thalamus (+26.9%),
parafascicular nucleus (+25.4%), and the ventral posterior nucleus
(+26.0%).

View larger version (125K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
|
Figure 2.
Areas of cerebral metabolic response produced by
self-administered cocaine in the thalamus of rhesus monkey. Shown are
representative autoradiograms of
2-[14C]deoxyglucose uptake in coronal sections at
the level of the mediodorsal nucleus, 14 from bregma (Paxinos et al.,
2000 ). Areas shown in red indicate significant increases
in rates of glucose utilization. mdm, Mediodorsal
nucleus-magnocellular division; mdp, mediodorsal
nucleus-parvicellular division; pf, parafascicular
nucleus; cm, centromedian nucleus.
|
|
Cerebral cortex
The prefrontal cortex was parcellated according to Carmichael and
Price (1994) . Other cortical areas were subdivided according to the
atlas of Paxinos et al.(2000) . Changes in rates of glucose utilization
were restricted to the territories of the prefrontal cortex (Table 2).
Within limbic prefrontal cortices, self-administration of the lower
dose of cocaine decreased rates of glucose utilization in the
prefrontal cortex along the medial wall ( 19.5%), including areas 14, 24, 25, and 32, as well as within the anterior insula ( 26.3%),
including areas Iai, Iam, Ial, and G). In contrast, significant
increases in rates of glucose utilization were found in the dorsomedial
prefrontal cortex (area 9; +27.3%) and in the regions of the lateral
prefrontal cortex (areas 45 and 46; +15.5%). Cocaine
self-administration at this dose did not alter cerebral metabolism in
any other portion of cortex analyzed, including areas 5, 6, 7, 8 and
the temporal pole (Table 2).
Self-administration of the higher dose of cocaine produced similar
cortical changes in glucose utilization as reported for the lower dose
group. These changes included decreases in medial ( 16.8%) and
anterior insula cortex ( 30.1%), and increases in dorsomedial
(+38.8%) and dorsolateral (+25.1%) prefrontal cortex (Fig.
3, Table 2). Again, no other changes were
observed in other cortical regions after self-administration of this
dose of cocaine.

View larger version (98K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
|
Figure 3.
Areas of cerebral metabolic response produced by
self-administered cocaine in the prefrontal cortex of rhesus monkey.
Shown are representative autoradiograms of
2-[14C]deoxyglucose uptake in coronal sections
midway through the prefrontal cortex, +9.5 from bregma (Paxinos et al.,
2000 ). Areas shown in red indicate significant increases
in rates of glucose utilization. Areas shown in blue
depict those areas in which significant decreases in rates of glucose
utilization were measured. 12, Area 12;
13, area 13; 14, area 14;
32, area 32; 24, area 24;
9, area 9; ps, principal sulcus.
|
|
DISCUSSION
The present findings demonstrate that self-administration of
cocaine produces alterations in functional activity, as reflected by
rates of local cerebral glucose utilization, within a broadly distributed, yet highly interconnected, constellation of brain regions.
These changes were focused in limbic-related brain areas and included
portions of brain reward circuitry, i.e., the nucleus accumbens,
extended amygdala, ventral tegmental area, and medial and ventral
prefrontal cortices. But in addition to these regions, cocaine
self-administration activated the dorsolateral and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex and the thalamic nuclei with which they are reciprocally connected (Kievit and Kuypers, 1977 ; Goldman-Rakic and
Porrino, 1985 ). This pattern of activation represents the effects of
cocaine during the initial phases of drug self-administration, just
after the acquisition of this behavior but before the likely advent of
any significant biological and behavioral adaptations. Although these
animals were exposed to cocaine for only 5 d, their response rates
on the fifth day of self-administration indicate that the drug
functioned as a reinforcer. This early time point was chosen to model
initial drug experimentation in humans, when cocaine use is still
considered casual or recreational before a transition to an addictive
state. To date, investigations of the substrates of cocaine exposure in
humans have used subjects that have had long and variable histories of
cocaine use, frequently combined with extensive experience with a
variety of legal and illegal substances. The effects of cocaine
administration in human studies encompass a broad expanse of
sensorimotor, association, and limbic cortex (London et al., 1990 ;
Stapleton et al., 1995 ; Breiter et al., 1997 ; Gollub et al., 1998 ).
This is in sharp contrast to the effects observed here in the earliest
phases of cocaine exposure where only prefrontal cortex was involved.
This suggests that the adaptations to chronic cocaine use may be marked
by a widening influence of cocaine throughout the brain. The initial experience with the subjective sensations induced by cocaine, particularly the positive reinforcing effects, is the starting point
from which these adaptations develop. Therefore, the present findings
in a nonhuman primate model provide a baseline from which the time
course and progression of the adaptations that accompany chronic
cocaine use can be compared.
Comparisons with effects of noncontingent cocaine presentation
The effects of cocaine self-administration reported here differ
from previous work in which cocaine was administered noncontingently by
the experimenter to drug-naive animals (Lyons et al., 1996 ). Cocaine
self-administration resulted in a more restricted distribution of
changes in functional activity the striatum and medial and orbital
prefrontal cortex. In other regions, such as the bed nucleus of the
stria terminalis, alterations in functional activity were present only
in self-administering animals. These differences are consistent with
previous reports in which self-administration and passive cocaine
administration produced different behavioral (Dworkin et al., 1995 ;
Mutschler and Miczek, 1998 ), neurophysiological (Carelli et al., 1993 ),
and neurochemical (Wilson et al., 1994 ; Hemby et al., 1997 ; Broadbear
et al., 1999 ) consequences, and emphasize the importance of the
behavioral context of drug administration as a critical determinant of
the functional response to cocaine.
The most striking difference between the distribution of functional
changes associated with self-administration and passive administration,
however, was the elevation in cerebral metabolic rates within the
mediodorsal thalamus (Fig. 2) and the dorsolateral and dorsomedial
prefrontal cortex (Fig. 3) of the self-administering animals. These,
like other elevations in rates of cerebral metabolism, result from
increases in synaptic activity as well as increased afferent input to
these brain regions. The dorsolateral and dorsomedial cortices are
among those areas activated during the performance of a broad range of
cognitive tasks that require the monitoring of complex information in
working memory or the planning of behavior for future goals (for
discussion, see Baddeley, 1986 or Fuster, 1997 ). A common feature among
these tasks is the ability to keep or maintain information online over
time. In the course of performing cognitive tasks, neurons in this area
can display sustained activity during the delays between stimulus
presentation and a required response. The cortical activation seen in
the present study may reflect a continued representation of the
environmental context associated with cocaine self-administration that
persists after the end of the session. This continued activation at a
time when access to cocaine has ceased may constitute the basis for the formation of memories for the multifactored cocaine cues that can
elicit strong cravings, even after long periods of abstinence. In fact,
elevations in rates of glucose utilization within these areas are
similar to the effect observed in investigations of cue-elicited
craving in human cocaine abusers (Grant et al., 1996 ; Garavan et al.,
2000 ). The effects of cocaine, therefore, are not restricted solely to
limbic networks, but involve those brains areas that mediate complex
cognitive processes, even at the outset of experience with
self-administration.
Topography of cerebral metabolic alterations
In a number of brain regions the effects of self-administered
cocaine on rates of glucose utilization were primarily dose-dependent. This was most evident within regions of the basal ganglia where dose-dependent increases were seen in the substantia nigra reticulata, the internal and external segments of the globus pallidus, subthalamic nucleus, and red nucleus. This pattern in cerebral metabolic change within the basal ganglia reflects the motor activating effects of
cocaine. Monkeys displayed increasing levels of behavioral agitation
with higher doses, and in some cases there was some evidence of
stereotypies when animals were removed from their experimental chambers
after self-administration sessions. The presence of a clear
dose-response relationship in these regions indicates that the direct
pharmacological actions of cocaine self-administration are responsible
for these changes.
There was an absence of a dose-response relationship, however, within
the mesolimbic system (Fig. 1), including the ventral tegmental area
and the nucleus accumbens. These metabolic alterations were essentially
of equivalent magnitude, despite the 10-fold difference in total intake
between groups. Although the absence of a dose-response relationship
may reflect a full saturation of dopamine transporters and/or receptors
by dopamine in these areas, it is also possible that during acquisition
of cocaine reinforcement, the environmental context and the behavioral
repertoire associated with self-administration may have made a greater
contribution to these changes than the actual dose of cocaine itself.
The measurement of rates of glucose utilization took place during a
scheduled timeout at the conclusion of the final session, thus
eliminating the confounds of differing response rates of individual
animals during the experimental sessions. This timing also eliminated
the presence of any anticipatory or expectancy effects that would have
been present if the 2-DG procedure had taken place during or before
self-administration sessions. This may help to explain the absence of
significant alterations of functional activity in the amygdala. Nuclei
within the amygdala are central to the acquisition and expression of
stimulus-reward relationships (for review, see Everitt et al., 1999 )
and have been shown to be involved in conditioned aspects of cocaine
self-administration as well as cue- and drug-related craving (Grant et
al., 1996 ; Childress et al., 1999 ; Kilts et al., 2001 ). Because these
states were not a factor in the current design, the failure of cocaine self-administration to alter functional activity within the amygdala is
consistent with its role in conditioned reinforcement.
Basis of the changes in cerebral metabolism
The decreases in functional activity prominent in dopamine-rich
areas, particularly the striatum, are in keeping with what is known
about the actions of cocaine on cellular activity. In acute
electrophysiological studies, the predominant response of striatal
neurons to dopamine agonists is a reduction in cell excitability (Hu
and White, 1996 ; O'Donnell and Grace, 1996 ; Zhang et al., 1998 ; Nicola
and Deadwyler, 2000 ). Perhaps more pertinent for the present findings
are the results of studies in which in vivo electrophysiological recordings of nucleus accumbens neurons were performed in rats self-administering cocaine (Peoples et al., 1998 ).
There was a significant decrease in mean firing rates within the
ventral striatum over the course of self-administration sessions when
compared with firing rates during pre-drug and post-drug periods. This
overall tonic inhibition seen in vivo, as well as reduced
cell excitability seen in acute preparations, is likely to translate
into reduced rates of glucose utilization.
The direction of the changes in striatal glucose utilization
accompanying cocaine exposure is opposite to the increased neural activation of some previous reports (Breiter et al., 1997 ; Howell et
al., 2002 ). These reports are based on hemodynamic measurements accomplished with magnetic resonance imaging or positron emission tomography. Blood flow measures are generally short in duration with
the signal measured over seconds or a few minutes, whereas metabolic
measures used in the present study are on a much longer time scale,
requiring up to 60 min for signal acquisition. The changes in the
activity of ventral striatal neurons that accompany cocaine
self-administration occur on multiple time scales as well. Depressed
neuronal firing rates seen across the session contrast with increased
firing rates in the seconds just before and after a reinforced lever
press (Peoples et al., 1998 , 1999 ; Nicola and Deadwyler, 2000 ).
Decreased metabolic rates are likely to reflect the tonic decreases in
excitability across the session, whereas the increased signal observed
in studies using hemodynamic measures may reflect the increased
activation that occurs in anticipation of and just after cocaine
administration. The inconsistencies then, may be a function of the
underlying substrates of the measurements. Furthermore, subtle
differences in the nature of the drug experience measured by these
different imaging methods, especially the presence of expectancy in
human studies, may exist as well.
In summary, cocaine self-administration in its earliest stages resulted
in changes in functional activity in a widely distributed network of
brain regions that included not only mesocorticolimbic pathways, but
corticothalamic circuits involving the dorsolateral and dorsomedial
prefrontal cortex as well. The involvement of cortical areas subserving
working memory suggests that strong associations between cocaine and
the internal and external environment are formed from the very outset
of experience with cocaine. Although intravenous self-administration in
nonhuman primates is only a model of drug use in humans and may not
completely represent all of the elements of human cocaine seeking, the
assessment of the effects of cocaine self-administration at a time
point not readily evaluated in humans establishes a baseline from which
shifts in the effects of cocaine that accompany chronic exposure can be investigated in future studies. Understanding this progression may
provide insights into the neurobiological basis of the transition to addiction.
 |
FOOTNOTES |
Received March 25, 2002; revised June 5, 2002; accepted June 10, 2002.
This work was supported by United States Public Health Service Grants
DA09085 and DA06634 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. We thank
Susan Nader, Clifford Hubbard, and Tonya Moore for assistance in the
conduct of these experiments.
Correspondence should be addressed to Dr. Linda Porrino, Department of
Physiology and Pharmacology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine,
Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, NC 27157. E-mail:
lporrino{at}wfubmc.edu.
 |
REFERENCES |
-
Amaral DG,
Price J,
Pitkanen A,
Carmichael ST
(1992)
Anatomical organization of the primate amygdaloid complex.
In: The amygdala, Neurobiological aspects of emotion, memory, and mental dysfunction (Aggleton J,
ed), pp 1-66. New York: Wiley-Liss.
-
Baddeley A
(1986)
In: Working memory. Oxford: Clarendon.
-
Breiter HC,
Gollub RL,
Weisskoff RM,
Kennedy DN,
Makris N,
Berke JD,
Goodman JM,
Kantor HL,
Gastfriend DR,
Riorden JP,
Mathew RT,
Rosen BR,
Hyman SE
(1997)
Acute effects of cocaine on human brain activity and emotion.
Neuron
19:591-611[Web of Science][Medline].
-
Broadbear JH,
Winger G,
Cicero TJ,
Woods JH
(1999)
Effects of response contingent and noncontingent cocaine injection on hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal activity in rhesus monkeys.
J Pharmacol Exp Ther
290:393-402[Abstract/Free Full Text].
-
Carelli RM,
King VC,
Hampson RE,
Deadwyler SA
(1993)
Firing patterns of nucleus accumbens neurons during cocaine self-administration in rats.
Brain Res
626:14-22[Web of Science][Medline].
-
Carmichael ST,
Price JL
(1994)
Architectonic subdivision of the orbital and medial prefrontal cortex in the macaque monkey.
J Comp Neurol
346:366-402[Web of Science][Medline].
-
Childress AR,
Mozley PD,
McElgin W,
Fitzgerald J,
Reivich M,
O'Brien CP
(1999)
Limbic activation during cue-induced cocaine craving.
Am J Psychiatry
156:11-18[Abstract/Free Full Text].
-
Dworkin SI,
Mirkis S,
Smith JE
(1995)
Response-dependent versus response-independent presentation of cocaine: differences in the lethal effects of the drug.
Psychopharmacology (Berl)
117:262-266[Medline].
-
Everitt BJ,
Parkinson JA,
Olmstead MC,
Arroyo M,
Robledo P,
Robbins TW
(1999)
Associative processes in addiction and reward. The role of amygdala-ventral striatal subsystems.
Ann NY Acad Sci
877:412-438[Web of Science][Medline].
-
Fuster J
(1997)
In: The prefrontal cortex. Anatomy, physiology and neuropsychology of the frontal lobe, Ed 3. New York: Raven.
-
Garavan H,
Pankiewicz J,
Bloom A,
Cho JK,
Sperry L,
Ross TJ,
Salmeron BJ,
Risinger R,
Kelley D,
Stein EA
(2000)
Cue-induced cocaine craving: neuroanatomical specificity for drug users and drug stimuli.
Am J Psychiatry
157:1789-1798[Abstract/Free Full Text].
-
Goldman-Rakic PS,
Porrino LJ
(1985)
The primate mediodorsal (MD) nucleus and its projection to the frontal lobe.
J Comp Neurol
242:535-560[Web of Science][Medline].
-
Gollub RL,
Breiter HC,
Kantor H,
Kennedy D,
Gastfriend D,
Mathew RT,
Makris N,
Guimaraes A,
Riorden J,
Campbell T,
Foley M,
Hyman SE,
Rosen B,
Weisskoff R
(1998)
Cocaine decreases cortical cerebral blood flow but does not obscure regional activation in functional magnetic resonance imaging in human subjects.
J Cereb Blood Flow Metab
18:724-734[Web of Science][Medline].
-
Graham J,
Porrino LJ
(1995)
Neuroanatomical substrates of cocaine self-administration.
In: Neurobiology of cocaine (Hammer R,
ed), pp 3-14. Boca Raton, FL: CRC.
-
Grant S,
London ED,
Newlin DB,
Villemagne VL,
Liu X,
Contoreggi C,
Phillips RL,
Kimes AS,
Margolin A
(1996)
Activation of memory circuits during cue-elicited cocaine craving.
Proc Natl Acad Sci USA
93:12040-12045[Abstract/Free Full Text].
-
Haber SN,
McFarland NR
(1999)
The concept of the ventral striatum in nonhuman primates.
Ann NY Acad Sci
877:33-48[Web of Science][Medline].
-
Haber SN,
Kunishio K,
Mizobuchi M,
Lynd-Balta E
(1995)
The orbital and medial prefrontal circuit through the primate basal ganglia.
J Neurosci
15:4851-4867[Abstract].
-
Hemby SE,
Co C,
Koves TR,
Smith JE,
Dworkin SI
(1997)
Differences in extracellular dopamine concentrations in the nucleus accumbens during response-dependent and response-independent cocaine administration in the rat.
Psychopharmacology (Berl)
133:7-16[Medline].
-
Howell LL,
Hoffman JM,
Votaw JR,
Landrum AM,
Wilcox KM,
Lindsey KP
(2002)
Cocaine-induced brain activation determined by positron emission tomography neuroimaging in conscious rhesus monkeys.
Psychopharmacology (Berl)
159:154-160[Medline].
-
Hu XT,
White FJ
(1996)
Glutamate receptor regulation of rat nucleus accumbens neurons in vivo.
Synapse
23:208-218[Web of Science][Medline].
-
Kaufman M,
Levin J
(2001)
Magnetic resonance findings in substance abuse.
In: Brain imaging in substance abuse (Kaufman M,
ed), pp 155-198. Totowa, NJ: Humana.
-
Kennedy C,
Sakurada O,
Shinohara M,
Jehle J,
Sokoloff L
(1978)
Local cerebral glucose utilization in the normal conscious macaque monkey.
Ann Neurol
4:293-301[Web of Science][Medline].
-
Kievit J,
Kuypers HG
(1977)
Organization of the thalamo-cortical connections to the frontal lobe in the rhesus monkey.
Exp Brain Res
29:299-322[Web of Science][Medline].
-
Kilts CD,
Schweitzer JB,
Quinn CK,
Gross RE,
Faber TL,
Muhammad F,
Ely TD,
Hoffman JM,
Drexler KP
(2001)
Neural activity related to drug craving in cocaine addiction.
Arch Gen Psychiatry
58:334-341[Abstract/Free Full Text].
-
London ED,
Cascella NG,
Wong DF,
Phillips RL,
Dannals RF,
Links JM,
Herning R,
Grayson R,
Jaffe JH,
Wagner Jr HN
(1990)
Cocaine-induced reduction of glucose utilization in human brain.
Arch Gen Psychiatry
47:567-574[Abstract/Free Full Text].
-
Lyons D,
Friedman DP,
Nader MA,
Porrino LJ
(1996)
Cocaine alters cerebral metabolism within the ventral striatum and limbic cortex of monkeys.
J Neurosci
16:1230-1238[Abstract/Free Full Text].
-
Martin LJ,
Powers RE,
Dellovade TL,
Price DL
(1991)
The bed nucleus-amygdala continuum in human and monkey.
J Comp Neurol
309:445-485[Web of Science][Medline].
-
Moolten M,
Kornetsky C
(1990)
Oral self-administration of ethanol and not experimenter-administered ethanol facilitates rewarding electrical brain stimulation.
Alcohol
7:221-225[Web of Science][Medline].
-
Mutschler NH,
Miczek KA
(1998)
Withdrawal from a self-administered or non-contingent cocaine binge: differences in ultrasonic distress vocalizations in rats.
Psychopharmacology (Berl)
136:402-408[Medline].
-
Nader MA,
Daunais JB,
Moore RJ,
Nader S,
Smith HR,
Friedman DP,
Porrino LJ
(2002)
Effects of long-term cocaine self-administration on mesolimbic and nigrostriatal dopamine systems in rhesus monkeys.
Neuropsychopharmacology
27:35-46[Web of Science][Medline].
-
Nicola SM,
Deadwyler SA
(2000)
Firing rate of nucleus accumbens neurons is dopamine-dependent and reflects the timing of cocaine-seeking behavior in rats on a progressive ratio schedule of reinforcement.
J Neurosci
20:5526-5537[Abstract/Free Full Text].
-
O'Donnell P,
Grace AA
(1996)
Dopaminergic reduction of excitability in nucleus accumbens neurons recorded in vitro.
Neuropsychopharmacology
15:87-97[Web of Science][Medline].
-
Olszewski J
(1952)
In: The thalamus of the Macaca mulatta, an atlas for use with the stereotaxic instrument. New York: Karger.
-
Paxinos G,
Huang X-F,
Toga A
(2000)
In: The rhesus monkey brain in stereotaxic coordinates. San Diego: Academic.
-
Peoples LL,
Uzwiak AJ,
Guyette FX,
West MO
(1998)
Tonic inhibition of single nucleus accumbens neurons in the rat: a predominant but not exclusive firing pattern induced by cocaine self-administration sessions.
Neuroscience
86:13-22[Web of Science][Medline].
-
Peoples LL,
Uzwiak AJ,
Gee F,
West MO
(1999)
Tonic firing of rat nucleus accumbens neurons: changes during the first 2 weeks of daily cocaine self-administration sessions.
Brain Res
822:231-236[Web of Science][Medline].
-
Porrino LJ,
Lyons D
(2000)
Orbital and medial prefrontal cortex and psychostimulant abuse: studies in animal models.
Cereb Cortex
10:326-333[Abstract/Free Full Text].
-
Schuier F,
Orzi F,
Suda S,
Lucignani G,
Kennedy C,
Sokoloff L
(1990)
Influence of plasma glucose concentration on lumped constant of the deoxyglucose method: effects of hyperglycemia in the rat.
J Cereb Blood Flow Metab
10:765-773[Web of Science][Medline].
-
Sokoloff L,
Reivich M,
Kennedy C,
Des Rosiers MH,
Patlak CS,
Pettigrew KD,
Sakurada O,
Shinohara M
(1977)
The [14C]deoxyglucose method for the measurement of local cerebral glucose utilization: theory, procedure, and normal values in the conscious and anesthetized albino rat.
J Neurochem
28:897-916[Web of Science][Medline].
-
Stapleton JM,
Morgan MJ,
Phillips RL,
Wong DF,
Yung BC,
Shaya EK,
Dannals RF,
Liu X,
Grayson RL,
London ED
(1995)
Cerebral glucose utilization in polysubstance abuse.
Neuropsychopharmacology
13:21-31[Web of Science][Medline].
-
Strickland T,
Miller B,
Kowell A,
Stein R
(1998)
Neurobiology of cocaine-induced organic brain impairment: contributions from functional neuroimaging.
Neuropsychol Rev
8:1-9[Web of Science][Medline].
-
Suda S,
Shinohara M,
Miyaoka M,
Lucignani G,
Kennedy C,
Sokoloff L
(1990)
The lumped constant of the deoxyglucose method in hypoglycemia: effects of moderate hypoglycemia on local cerebral glucose utilization in the rat.
J Cereb Blood Flow Metab
10:499-509[Web of Science][Medline].
-
Volkow ND,
Fowler JS,
Wang GJ
(1999)
Imaging studies on the role of dopamine in cocaine reinforcement and addiction in humans.
J Psychopharmacol
13:337-345[Abstract/Free Full Text].
-
Wilson JM,
Nobrega JN,
Corrigall WA,
Coen KM,
Shannak K,
Kish SJ
(1994)
Amygdala dopamine levels are markedly elevated after self-but not passive-administration of cocaine.
Brain Res
668:39-45[Web of Science][Medline].
-
Zhang XF,
Hu XT,
White FJ
(1998)
Whole-cell plasticity in cocaine withdrawal: reduced sodium currents in nucleus accumbens neurons.
J Neurosci
18:488-498[Abstract/Free Full Text].
Copyright © 2002 Society for Neuroscience 0270-6474/02/22177687-08$05.00/0
This article has been cited by other articles:

|
 |

|
 |
 
W. K. Schiffer, C. N. B. Liebling, C. Reiszel, J. M. Hooker, J. D. Brodie, and S. L. Dewey
Cue-Induced Dopamine Release Predicts Cocaine Preference: Positron Emission Tomography Studies in Freely Moving Rodents
J. Neurosci.,
May 13, 2009;
29(19):
6176 - 6185.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
C. A. Winstanley, Q. LaPlant, D. E. H. Theobald, T. A. Green, R. K. Bachtell, L. I. Perrotti, R. J. DiLeone, S. J. Russo, W. J. Garth, D. W. Self, et al.
{Delta}FosB Induction in Orbitofrontal Cortex Mediates Tolerance to Cocaine-Induced Cognitive Dysfunction
J. Neurosci.,
September 26, 2007;
27(39):
10497 - 10507.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
M. A. Nader and P. W. Czoty
PET Imaging of Dopamine D2 Receptors in Monkey Models of Cocaine Abuse: Genetic Predisposition Versus Environmental Modulation
Am J Psychiatry,
August 1, 2005;
162(8):
1473 - 1482.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
Y. Liu, G.-D. Chen, M. R. Lerner, D. J. Brackett, and R. R. Matsumoto
Cocaine Up-Regulates Fra-2 and {sigma}-1 Receptor Gene and Protein Expression in Brain Regions Involved in Addiction and Reward
J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther.,
August 1, 2005;
314(2):
770 - 779.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
N. D. Volkow, G.-J. Wang, Y. Ma, J. S. Fowler, C. Wong, Y.-S. Ding, R. Hitzemann, J. M. Swanson, and P. Kalivas
Activation of Orbital and Medial Prefrontal Cortex by Methylphenidate in Cocaine-Addicted Subjects But Not in Controls: Relevance to Addiction
J. Neurosci.,
April 13, 2005;
25(15):
3932 - 3939.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
D. W. Self, K.-H. Choi, D. Simmons, J. R. Walker, and C. S. Smagula
Extinction Training Regulates Neuroadaptive Responses to Withdrawal from Chronic Cocaine Self-Administration
Learn. Mem.,
September 1, 2004;
11(5):
648 - 657.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
E. Saka, C. Goodrich, P. Harlan, B. K. Madras, and A. M. Graybiel
Repetitive Behaviors in Monkeys Are Linked to Specific Striatal Activation Patterns
J. Neurosci.,
August 25, 2004;
24(34):
7557 - 7565.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
L. J. Porrino, D. Lyons, H. R. Smith, J. B. Daunais, and M. A. Nader
Cocaine Self-Administration Produces a Progressive Involvement of Limbic, Association, and Sensorimotor Striatal Domains
J. Neurosci.,
April 7, 2004;
24(14):
3554 - 3562.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
N. D. Volkow, G.-J. Wang, Y. Ma, J. S. Fowler, W. Zhu, L. Maynard, F. Telang, P. Vaska, Y.-S. Ding, C. Wong, et al.
Expectation Enhances the Regional Brain Metabolic and the Reinforcing Effects of Stimulants in Cocaine Abusers
J. Neurosci.,
December 10, 2003;
23(36):
11461 - 11468.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
S. Ikemoto
Involvement of the Olfactory Tubercle in Cocaine Reward: Intracranial Self-Administration Studies
J. Neurosci.,
October 15, 2003;
23(28):
9305 - 9311.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
D. J. Macey, H. R. Smith, M. A. Nader, and L. J. Porrino
Chronic Cocaine Self-Administration Upregulates the Norepinephrine Transporter and Alters Functional Activity in the Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis of the Rhesus Monkey
J. Neurosci.,
January 1, 2003;
23(1):
12 - 16.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|
|

|