Study of relationship between individual variability in modafinil-induced behavioral sensitization and conditioned reinforcing effect in mice

• Grant number: 11/21117-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: March 01, 2012
• End date: August 31, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Pharmacology - Neuropsychopharmacology
• Principal Investigator: Isabel Marian Hartmann de Quadros
• Grantee: Aline da Costa Soeiro
• Host Institution: Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus São Paulo. São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The prior behavioral sensitization to drugs of abuse may potentiate the drug-induced rewarding and conditioned effects and increase vulnerability to seeking and taking behaviors. In a previous study modafinil treatment induced a significant individual differences in behavioral sensitization and cross-sensitization to methamphetamine in sensitized mice to modafinil, suggesting the existence of similar neurobiological mechanisms of these drugs in susceptible animals to behavioral sensitization. The aim of the study will evaluate the relationship between individual differences in behavioral sensitization, the conditioned rewarding effects , and the dopaminergic neurons activity induced by modafinil. Male Swiss mice 75 days old at the beginning of the experiments will be evaluated in behavioral sensitization and conditioning place preference. In phase 1 will be evaluted the modafinil induced-conditioning place preference parameters. In phase 2 will be assessed the relationship between individual differences in behavioral sensitization and induction, extinction, reinstatement and the persistence of modafinil-induced conditioning place preference. The phase 3 will be carried to estimate the dopaminergic neurons activity: 1) after the expression of sensitization, 2) after reinstatement test of conditioning place preference. The hypothesis is that the sensitized mice are vulnerable or sensitive to modafinil-induced rewarding and conditioned effects. The resistant mice to sensitization will not show this enhancement in sensitivity.