A novel chronic and detachable indwelling jugular catheterization procedure for mice

The purpose of this study was to describe and demonstrate the usefulness of a chronic, detachable, indwelling jugular catheterization apparatus in mice that can be applied to acute or chronic I.V. drug administration in freely moving, unrestrained mice. The application of this procedure to the study of abused drugs is particularly advantageous, because the commonly employed intraperitoneal (I.P.), S.C., and per os (P.O.) routes of administration fail to mimic the near complete and instantaneous bioavailability of drugs abused by I.V. injection or inhalation (e.g., cocaine). Compared to current I.V. administration methods, the detachable catheter system presented in this paper is relatively easy to construct, simple to use, and appears to remain patent for an extended period of time. In addition, the utility of this procedure is greatly increased because the subject does not have to remain permanently attached to a complicated tether system. Thus, the test subject can be infused with a drug, detached from the catheter, and then undergo some behavioral test that would otherwise be impossible to undergo with a tethered system. For the purposes of demonstrating catheter patency and the importance of an I.V. route of administration, a conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm was used to evaluate the reinforcing efficacy of cocaine.