Increased vulnerability to cocaine in mice lacking the serotonin-1B receptor
Nature. 1998-05-01; 393(6681): 175-178
DOI: 10.1038/30259
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1. Nature. 1998 May 14;393(6681):175-8.
Increased vulnerability to cocaine in mice lacking the serotonin-1B receptor.
Rocha BA(1), Scearce-Levie K, Lucas JJ, Hiroi N, Castanon N, Crabbe JC, Nestler
EJ, Hen R.
Author information:
(1)Department of Pharmacology, University of North Texas Health Science Center,
Fort Worth 76107, USA.
Comment in
Nature. 1998 May 14;393(6681):118-9.
There is increasing evidence that genetic factors can influence individual
differences in vulnerability to drugs of abuse. Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine,
5-HT), acting through many receptors can modulate the activity of neural reward
pathways and thus the effects of various drugs of abuse. Here we examine the
effects of cocaine in mice lacking one of the serotonin-receptor subtypes, the
5-HT1B receptor. We show that mice lacking 5-HT1B display increased locomotor
responses to cocaine and that they are more motivated to self-administer cocaine.
We propose that even drug-naive 5-HT1B-knockout mice are in a behavioural and
biochemical state that resembles that of wild-type mice sensitized to cocaine by
repeated exposure to the drug. This altered state might be responsible for their
increased vulnerability to cocaine.
DOI: 10.1038/30259
PMID: 9603521 [Indexed for MEDLINE]