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Modafinil effects on reinstatement of methamphetamine seeking in a rat model of relapse

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Abstract

Rationale

Modafinil (Provigil®) is a wake-promoting drug characterized by cognitive enhancing abilities. Recent clinical data have supported the use of modafinil for treatment of chronic psychostimulant addiction and relapse prevention.

Materials and methods

We used an intravenous methamphetamine (meth) self-administration procedure to assess the dose-dependent effects of modafinil on reinstatement following abstinence and after extinction on conditioned-cue and meth-primed reinstatement of meth seeking.

Results

Modafinil attenuated active lever responding in multiple reinstatement conditions—context-induced, conditioned cue, and meth prime. The most pronounced and consistent effect was on meth-primed reinstatement, and modafinil did not reinstate meth seeking when tested alone.

Discussion

These findings support clinical findings in humans that modafinil may be an effective therapeutic agent for the prevention of relapse in abstinent meth users.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by NIDA Grant DA022658 (RES), T32007288 (CMR), and NIH grant C06 RR015455. The authors thank Shannon Ghee, Eleni Bucuvalas, and Bernard Smalls for technical assistance.

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  1. Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, 173 Ashley Avenue, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA

    Carmela M. Reichel & Ronald E. See

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  1. Carmela M. Reichel
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Correspondence to Ronald E. See.

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Reichel, C.M., See, R.E. Modafinil effects on reinstatement of methamphetamine seeking in a rat model of relapse. Psychopharmacology 210, 337–346 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-010-1828-5

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