Title
Imaging cocaine-induced changes in the mesocorticolimbic dopaminergic system of conscious rats
GSBS Program
Biochemistry & Molecular Pharmacology
UMMS Affiliation
Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences; Department of Psychiatry; Center for Comparative NeuroImaging
Date
10-19-2004
Document Type
Article
Medical Subject Headings
Animals; Cerebral Cortex; Cocaine; Consciousness; Dopamine; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Injections, Intraventricular; Limbic System; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley
Disciplines
Life Sciences | Medicine and Health Sciences
Abstract
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to assess the effects of cocaine on brain activation in fully conscious rats. Methods were developed to image cocaine-induced changes in blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) signal without the peripheral cardiac and respiratory complications associated with psychostimulant administration. Using spin echo planar imaging (EPI), conscious rats were imaged in a 4.7 T spectrometer prior to and following the intracerebroventricular injection of cocaine (20 microg) in artificial cerebrospinal fluid (10 uL). Within 5 min of injection, there was a significant increase in BOLD signal intensity in the substantia nigra, ventral tegmental area, nucleus accumbens, dorsal striatum and prefrontal cortex, as compared to vehicle controls. Minimal negative BOLD signal changes were observed in response to cocaine and no significant perturbations in normal cardiovascular and respiratory function. These findings demonstrate the technical feasibility of studying psychostimulant-induced brain activity using functional MRI in conscious rats.
Rights and Permissions
Citation: J Neurosci Methods. 2004 Oct 30;139(2):167-76. Link to article on publisher's site