Dopamine D1 and D3 receptors are differentially involved in cue-elicited cocaine seeking

Environmental cues previously associated with reinforcing drugs can play a key role in relapse to drug seeking behaviors in humans. The mesocorticolimbic dopamine system plays a critical role in cocaine-induced neurobiological changes. Dopamine D1 and D3 receptors modulate locomotor-stimulant and positive reinforcing effects of cocaine, and cue-induced reinstatement of cocaine-seeking. Moreover, activation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) induced by acute cocaine administration is regulated by both D1 and D3 receptors. How D1 and D3 receptors modulate the acquisition and extinction of cue-elicited cocaine seeking behavior and associated changes in the MAPK signaling pathway in different brain regions, however, remains unclear. In the present study, we found that D1 receptor mutant mice failed to acquire conditioned place preference (CPP) while D3 receptor mutant mice show delayed CPP extinction compared with wild-type mice. Moreover, ERK, but not the c-jun N-terminal kinase and p38, is activated in wild-type and D3 receptor mutant mice but not in D1 receptor mutant mice following CPP acquisition. D3 receptor mutant mice also exhibit sustained ERK activation compared with wild-type mice following extinction training. Our results suggest that D1 and D3 receptors differentially contribute to learned association between cues and the rewarding properties of cocaine by regulating, at least in part, ERK activation in specific areas of the brain.