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Updated: Jun 25, 2026
A Protocol for Measuring Cue Reactivity in a Rat Model of Cocaine Use Disorder
Published on: June 18, 2018
Striatal dopamine responses to intranasal cocaine self-administration in humans
Sylvia M L Cox1, Chawki Benkelfat, Alain Dagher
1Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montréal, Québec H3A 1A1, Canada.
Background:
The effect of self-administered cocaine on extracellular dopamine (DA) levels has not been measured in humans.
Methods:
Ten nondependent cocaine users underwent positron emission tomography [11C]raclopride scans following intranasal self-administration of cocaine hydrochloride (1.0 mg/kg) and placebo powder.
Results:
Compared with placebo, intranasal cocaine self-administration decreased [11C]raclopride binding values in the ventral limbic striatum and putamen. Individual differences in the magnitude of the [11C]raclopride response in the ventral striatum were predicted by lifetime histories of stimulant drug use.
Conclusions:
The results suggest that 1) intranasal cocaine self-administration increases synaptic DA levels in human striatum and 2) prior use of stimulant drugs on the street is associated with progressively greater cocaine-induced DA responses. These dopaminergic effects might influence susceptibility to drug-seeking behavior and the progression to substance abuse.
