Vol. 297, Issue 2, 501-508, May 2001

Dopamine D1 Receptor Activation in the Medial Prefrontal Cortex Prevents the Expression of Cocaine Sensitization

Barbara A. Sorg, Na Li and Wei-Ran Wu

Alcohol and Drug Abuse Program, Department of Veterinary and Comparative Anatomy, Pharmacology and Physiology, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington

This study examined whether microinjection of the full D1 agonist, SKF 81297, or the D1 antagonist, SCH 23390, into the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) would alter the expression phase of cocaine sensitization. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were administered saline or cocaine (15 mg/kg, i.p.) once per day for seven consecutive days. After 8 to 17 days withdrawal, rats received a bilateral intra-mPFC microinjection of SKF 81297: either 0, 0.03, 0.1, or 0.3 µg/side; SCH 23390: either 0, 0.1, 0.3, or 1.0 µg/side; or a combination of 0.1 µg of SKF 81297 + 0.3 µg of SCH 23390, followed by an i.p. saline or cocaine (15 mg/kg, i.p.) injection. In naïve rats, vertical activity was elevated by the two lower doses of SKF 81297. A similar enhancement of cocaine-induced activity was observed in daily saline rats at the highest dose tested. In contrast, SKF 81297 suppressed the expression of sensitization to cocaine. This blockade of sensitization was prevented by coinfusion of SCH 23390. Infusion of SCH 23390 alone into the mPFC in daily saline and cocaine-pretreated rats demonstrated a suppression of cocaine-induced locomotion in daily saline-pretreated rats after the highest dose, but a slight augmentation of activity after the lowest dose in daily cocaine-pretreated rats. These results demonstrate a contribution by mPFC D1 receptors in the expression of cocaine sensitization and further suggest that the effects of D1 receptor activation in the mPFC occur in opposite directions in daily saline versus daily cocaine-pretreated rats.