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Sex differences in the acquisition and maintenance of cocaine and nicotine self-administration in rats

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Abstract

Rationale

Consistent sex differences are observed in human drug addiction, with females often exceeding males on drug intake. However, there is still a need for animal models for some aspects of addiction such as acquisition of drug self-administration and the subsequent development of drug-seeking.

Objectives

The present study examined sex differences in the acquisition and maintenance of self-administration of two widely used stimulants, cocaine and nicotine.

Methods

Male and female rats self-administered cocaine (0.4 mg/kg/infusion) or nicotine (0.03 mg/kg/infusion) daily under a fixed-ratio 1 (FR 1) schedule until acquisition criteria were met (maximum of 30 sessions). The self-administration criterion for cocaine was ≥20 infusions in a 2-h session and ≥5 infusions in a 1-h session for nicotine. Sex differences were assessed by examining the percentage of rats that met acquisition criteria, the number of sessions to meet criteria, and the number of infusions earned during the maintenance phase.

Results

A significantly higher percentage of male rats acquired both cocaine and nicotine self-administration than females, and males met acquisition criteria in fewer sessions. However, after criteria were met, females self-administered more cocaine than males during the first 5 days of maintenance. There were no sex differences in nicotine infusions post-acquisition.

Conclusions

Differences in acquisition amongst sexes can reveal factors that are integral to initiation of drug use, an often overlooked phase of drug addiction.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to Dr. Natalie Zlebnik and Heather Veglahn for their assistance with data collection. This study was supported by NIH/NIDA P50 DA033942 (MEC) and NIDA training grant T32 DA007097 (JRS; Dr. Thomas Molitor, PI).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota, 680A Diehl Hall, 550 Essex Street SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA

    Natashia Swalve, John R. Smethells & Marilyn E. Carroll

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  1. Natashia Swalve
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  2. John R. Smethells
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  3. Marilyn E. Carroll
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Correspondence to Natashia Swalve.

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Compliance with ethical standards

All experiments were approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (Protocol #1307-30762A), and the research was conducted in accordance with the Principles of Laboratory Animal Care.

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Swalve, N., Smethells, J.R. & Carroll, M.E. Sex differences in the acquisition and maintenance of cocaine and nicotine self-administration in rats. Psychopharmacology 233, 1005–1013 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-015-4183-8

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