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Updated: Jan 21, 2026
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Assessment of Cocaine-induced Behavioral Sensitization and Conditioned Place Preference in Mice
Published on: February 18, 2016
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Sex differences in cocaine self-administration behaviour under long access versus intermittent access conditions
Hajer Algallal1, Florence Allain2, Ndeye Aissatou Ndiaye3
1Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Addiction Biology
|August 3, 2019
Summary
Female rats show greater cocaine motivation and sensitization than males. Intermittent access models human use, revealing distinct addiction pathways. Long-access models cocaine intake differences between sexes.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Addiction Research
- Behavioral Pharmacology
Background:
- Human studies indicate women progress faster to cocaine addiction.
- Female rats exhibit higher incentive motivation for cocaine than males.
- Preclinical cocaine addiction models often use continuous access, unlike intermittent human use patterns.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare cocaine use and motivation in female and male rats under long-access (LgA) and intermittent-access (IntA) conditions.
- To investigate sex differences in cocaine intake, escalation, locomotor sensitization, and motivation.
- To determine the suitability of LgA and IntA models for studying sex differences in cocaine addiction.
Main Methods:
- Rats (female and male) underwent ten daily 6-hour sessions of either LgA or IntA cocaine self-administration.
- Locomotor activity was measured to assess sensitization.
- Motivation for cocaine was assessed using a progressive ratio (PR) schedule after a withdrawal period.
Main Results:
- Cocaine intake was highest in LgA rats; females escalated intake.
- Locomotor sensitization to cocaine occurred only in IntA rats, being greatest in females.
- Females consistently showed higher motivation for cocaine than males under the PR schedule.
- IntA rats, despite lower total intake, exhibited greater motivation than LgA rats.
Conclusions:
- LgA models are suitable for studying sex differences in cocaine intake.
- IntA models are better for investigating sex differences in sensitization and related neuroadaptations in cocaine addiction.
- The choice of self-administration paradigm (LgA vs. IntA) is critical for modeling specific aspects of cocaine addiction and sex differences.
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