Prolonged withdrawal following cocaine self-administration increases resistance to punishment in a cocaine binge
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Updated: Sep 3, 2026

A Protocol for Measuring Cue Reactivity in a Rat Model of Cocaine Use Disorder
Published on: June 18, 2018
Amy M Gancarz-Kausch1, Danielle N Adank1, David M Dietz1
1Department of Pharmacology &Toxicology; Research Institute on Addictions, Program of Neuroscience, University at Buffalo, Buffalo New York 14214, USA.
Abstract:
Drug addiction is characterized by compulsive drug-taking behaviors and a high propensity to relapse following drug cessation. Drug craving and seeking can increase during a period of abstinence, but this phenomenon is not observed in drug-induced reinstatement models. To investigate the effect of withdrawal on cocaine relapse, rats were exposed to extended-access cocaine self-administration and subjected to either 1 or 30 d of withdrawal. When tested during 12 h unlimited access to cocaine (binge), the duration of the withdrawal did not influence cocaine intake. However, using a histamine punishment procedure that greatly suppresses drug-taking behavior, we demonstrate that longer periods of abstinence from cocaine induce a greater persistence in responding for drug in the face of negative consequences.
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