NMDA receptors in the VTA regulate phasic and tonic dopamine in the NAc shell elicited by intravenous cocaine administration (experiment 2)
| Treatment | [DA]T (nm) | Transient count/10 s |
|---|---|---|
| Saline 1 | 396 ± 140 | 2.5 ± 0.6 |
| Saline 2 | 262 ± 61 | 2.3 ± 0.9 |
| Saline | 266 ± 73 | 3.6 ± 0.6 |
| Lidocaine | 36 ± 27* | 0.6 ± 0.4** |
| Saline | 371 ± 58 | 2.6 ± 0.5 |
| AP-5 | 74 ± 59* | 1.0 ± 0.4* |
Intra-VTA microinfusion of AP-5 or lidocaine significantly decreased both the average dopamine concentration increase ([DA]T) and the number of phasic events elicited by cocaine compared with microinfusion of saline (*p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, Student's t test).