Pharmacological Interventions on The Dopamine Motivation System Effectively Disturbed Cue-Induced Memory Reconsolidation Cocaine-Seeking Behavior for Rats

Abstract

Drug addiction is a disorder related to dysfunction in the neural reward memory circuits, and it is characterized by compulsive drug use despite terrible negative consequences. Memory reconsolidation, during which aroused memory is easy to strengthening, weakening or updating, plays an extremely important role in drug addiction. Effectively interfering with the drug memory reconsolidation process would be key in treating drug addiction, but this intervention currently remains impossible. The dopamine motivation system has been widely recognized as an important system for reward, but whether the dopamine motivation system participates in drug memory reconsolidation is unclear. We aimed to explore the role of the dopamine motivation system during the cue-induced cocaine memory reconsolidation process by examining the effect of different pharmacological interventions on the dopamine motivation system during cue-induced cocaine self-administration-related memory reconsolidation drug-seeking behavior. Using a combined behavioral and biological method, our results showed that high concentrations of SCH 23390 and raclopride, or VTA lesions, could effectively disturb subsequent cue-induced cocaine self-administration-related memory reconsolidation drug-seeking behavior in rats. However, low concentrations of SCH 23390 and raclopride could not block this behavior. In summary, only a high dose of dopamine D1 and D2 receptor antagonists, or VTA lesions, could effectively disturb subsequent cue-induced cocaine self-administration-related memory reconsolidation drug-seeking behavior. These findings indicated that pharmacological interventions in the dopamine motivation system could effectively disturb subsequent cue-induced drug memory reconsolidation. Thus, pharmacological interventions on the dopamine motivation system might have therapeutic potential for drug addiction.