Cocaine-induced activation of striatal neurons during focused stereotypy in rats

As psychomotor stimulants, both amphetamine and cocaine elicit episodes of repetitive motor activation (focused stereotypy) known to involve the mesostriatal dopamine system. During amphetamine-induced focused stereotypy, motor-related neurons in the striatum respond with either an excitation or inhibition, depending on dose and behavioral pattern, whereas nonmotor-related units are inhibited. To assess striatal activity during the focused stereotypy induced by cocaine, both types of striatal units were recorded in ambulant rats. Either 20 or 40 mg/kg cocaine caused highly focused sniffing and head bobbing, which occurred in conjunction with activation of both motor- and nonmotor-related neurons. The activation of motor-related units was evident even when firing rate was compared during periods of matched pre- and post-drug behavior, arguing against movement as the sole basis for the drug-induced neuronal excitation. Subsequent administration of haloperidol (1.0 mg/kg) reversed but did not completely block the neuronal activation, while the behavioral response shifted away from focused stereotypy toward an increase in ambulation. Thus, the level of activation of both motor- and nonmotor-related striatal neurons may play a critical role in the behavioral response pattern induced by cocaine.