Reinforcing and discriminative stimulus effects of β-CIT in rhesus monkeys

Michael Riley Weed, A. S. Mackevicius, J. Kebabian, W. L. Woolverton

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

13 Scopus citations

Abstract

β-CIT (also designated RTI-55) is one of a series of 2β-carbomethoxy-3β-phenyltropane cocaine analogues that have recently been synthesized for characterizing the dopamine transporter and its function. The present study was designed to examine the behavioral effects of β-CIT in rhesus monkeys. Two monkeys were allowed to self-administer cocaine (0.01 or 0.03 mg/kg/inj, IV, fixed-ratio 10, 1 h/day) in baseline sessions. When behavior was stable, β-CIT (0.0007-0.003 mg/kg/inj, IV) was made available for self-administration for several consecutive sessions. β-CIT maintained responding above saline levels in both monkeys. Two other monkeys were trained to discriminate cocaine (0.2 or 0.4 mg/kg, IM) from saline in a two-lever, food-reinforced drug discrimination paradigm. β-CIT (0.012-0.025 mg/kg, IV) fully substituted for cocaine as a discriminative stimulus. In both preparations, β-CIT was at least eightfold more potent than cocaine and had a longer duration of action. Thus, β-CIT has cocaine-like behavioral effects indicative of a functional interaction with the dopamine transporter.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)953-956
Number of pages4
JournalPharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior
Volume51
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 1995
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Cocaine
  • Cocaine analogues
  • Dopamine transporter
  • Drug discrimination
  • Rhesus monkey
  • Self-administration
  • β-CIT

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biological Psychiatry
  • Biochemistry
  • Behavioral Neuroscience
  • Clinical Biochemistry
  • Toxicology
  • Pharmacology

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