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Effects of acupuncture on stress-induced relapse to cocaine-seeking in rats

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Abstract

Rationale

Cocaine addiction is associated with high rates of relapse, and stress has been identified as a major risk factor. We have previously demonstrated that acupuncture reduces drug self-administration and dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens (NAc), a brain structure implicated in stress-induced reinstatement of drug-seeking behavior.

Objective

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of acupuncture on footshock-induced reinstatement of cocaine-seeking and the expression of c-Fos and the transcription factor cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) in the NAc, used as markers of neuronal activation in conditions of stress-induced reinstatement to cocaine.

Methods

Male Sprague–Dawley rats were trained to self-administer cocaine (1.0 mg/kg) for 14 days, followed by extinction and then footshock stress. Acupuncture was applied at bilateral Shenmen (HT7) points for 1 min after footshock stress.

Results and conclusions

Acute footshock stress reinstated cocaine-seeking behavior and enhanced c-Fos expression and phosphorylated CREB (pCREB) activation in the NAc shell in cocaine pre-exposed rats. On the other hand, acupuncture at HT7, but not at control point (LI5), markedly reduced reinstatement of cocaine-seeking (86.5 % inhibition vs. control value), c-Fos expression (81.7% inhibition), and pCREB activation (79.3% inhibition) in the NAc shell. These results suggest that acupuncture attenuates stress-induced relapse by regulating neuronal activation in the NAc shell.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by grants (K08010 and K11010) from Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine (KIOM), South Korea.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Oriental Medicine, Daegu Haany University, 165 Sang-Dong, Suseong-Gu, Daegu, 706-828, South Korea

    Seong Shoon Yoon, Bong Hyo Lee, Eun Young Jang, Hee Young Kim & Chae Ha Yang

  2. Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, 483 Expo-ro, Jeonmin-Dong, Yuseong-Gu, Daejeon, 305-811, South Korea

    Eun Jin Yang & Sun-Mi Choi

  3. Department of Psychology (1050 SWKT), Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, 84602, USA

    Scott C. Steffensen

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  1. Seong Shoon Yoon
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  2. Eun Jin Yang
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  3. Bong Hyo Lee
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  4. Eun Young Jang
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  5. Hee Young Kim
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  6. Sun-Mi Choi
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  7. Scott C. Steffensen
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  8. Chae Ha Yang
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Correspondence to Sun-Mi Choi or Chae Ha Yang.

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Seong Shoon Yoon and Eun Jin Yang contributed equally to this work.

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Yoon, S.S., Yang, E.J., Lee, B.H. et al. Effects of acupuncture on stress-induced relapse to cocaine-seeking in rats. Psychopharmacology 222, 303–311 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-012-2683-3

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