Sex-dependent effects of food-restriction on cocaine self-administration and cocaine-seeking in rats

TL;DR

Food restriction increases cocaine use in female rats but not males, affecting drug-seeking behavior differently based on sex.

Contribution

This study reveals sex-specific effects of food restriction on cocaine self-administration and seeking in rats.

Findings

Food-restricted female rats showed increased cocaine self-administration over time.

Only food-restricted females showed significant differences in lever pressing during cocaine-seeking reinstatement.

Food restriction sex-dependently alters cocaine-seeking behavior after abstinence.

Abstract

Misuse of drugs and natural rewards, such as food, share common neural pathways and comparably influence behavioral consequences. Food-restriction enhances drug-taking and drug-seeking behaviors in animals, but the effect of food-restriction on cocaine self-administration and cocaine-seeking in both sexes has not been well characterized.

Therefore, the present study investigated differences between food-restricted vs. ad libitum-feeding male and female Wistar rats on the acquisition of cocaine self-administration and cue-induced reinstatement of cocaine-seeking.

Food access sex-dependently altered the acquisition of cocaine self-administration such that food-restricted females, but not males, displayed an escalated intake behavior over time. Only food-restricted females differed significantly between active and inactive lever pressing during the reinstatement of cocaine-seeking session.

Taken together, these results suggest that food-restriction sex-dependently improves learning of cocaine self-administration that persists to alter cocaine-seeking behavior following abstinence.

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