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Updated: Jul 18, 2026
10:28
Assessment of Cocaine-induced Behavioral Sensitization and Conditioned Place Preference in Mice
Published on: February 18, 2016
Cocaine and Pavlovian fear conditioning: dose-effect analysis
Suzanne C Wood1, Jonathan Fay, Jennifer R Sage
1Department of Psychology, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive 0109, LaJolla, CA 92093-0109, United States. scwood@ucsd.edu
Behavioural Brain Research
|November 14, 2006
Summary
Cocaine
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychopharmacology
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Drugs of abuse, including cocaine, can significantly impact cognitive functions.
- Understanding these effects is crucial for addiction research and treatment strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the dose-dependent effects of cocaine on fear conditioning in mice.
- To determine how different cocaine doses influence memory formation and retrieval.
Main Methods:
- Mice were administered varying doses of cocaine (0.1-15mg/kg) before fear conditioning training.
- Pavlovian contextual and cued fear conditioning paradigms were employed.
- Behavioral responses, including freezing and shock reactivity, were assessed off-drug.
Main Results:
- Pre-training cocaine administration induced dose-dependent hyperactivity and disrupted freezing behavior.
- A moderate dose (15mg/kg) significantly impaired both contextual and cued fear memory.
- A very low dose (0.1mg/kg) significantly enhanced fear memory for both context and tone.
- Cocaine did not affect shock reactivity, ruling out anesthetic effects.
Conclusions:
- Cocaine's effects on fear memory are dose-dependent, challenging its reputation as solely performance-enhancing.
- Low doses of cocaine may enhance fear memory, while moderate doses disrupt hippocampus and amygdala-dependent fear conditioning.
- These findings highlight the complex relationship between cocaine, cognition, and fear-related learning.
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