Methamphetamine Self-Administration: Neurochemical Consequences and Behavioural Effects

It has been suggested that methamphetamine (MA) self-administration is dependent on dopaminergic mechanisms, and that exposure to high doses of methamphetamine is toxic to central dopamine (DA) and serotonin (5-HT) neurons. Most studies, however, have utilised a short duration, high dose, experimenter-administered MA exposure regime, which is not representative of exposure that results from MA use in humans. The present studies sought to investigate the effects of self-administered MA on brain monoamine levels following a short and longer withdrawal period, and to determine the role of D1- and D2-like receptors in the maintenance of MA self-administration and in relapse to MA-seeking. The effects of self-administered MA (0.1 mg/kg/infusion) on tissue monoamine levels were determined in rats either 24 hours or seven days following 20 daily six hour sessions. A yoked-control self-administration protocol was employed to determine the effects of response contingency. The effect of pre-treatment with the D1-like receptor antagonist, SCH 23390 (0.0; 0.01; 0.02 mg/kg; subcutaneous [SC]), or the D2-like receptor antagonist, eticlopride (0.0; 0.0125; 0.025; 0.05 mg/kg; intraperitoneal [IP]) on MA self-administration reinforced according to a fixed ratio (FR) 1, and progressive ratio (PR; 0.2 mg/kg MA) schedule was determined. The effect of these pharmacological manipulations on relapse to MA-seeking was also determined. Additionally, the role of DA in drug-seeking was examined by measuring the effect of priming injections of the direct D1 receptor agonist, SKF 81297 (0.0; 1.0; 2.0; 4.0 mg/kg; IP), the direct D2 receptor agonist, quinpirole (0.0; 1.0 mg/kg; IP), or the DA transporter (DAT) inhibitor, GBR 12909 (0.0; 1.0; 10.0 mg/kg; IP), on MA-seeking behaviour. Self-administered MA produced a transient decrease in tissue levels of DA and an increase in DA turnover. This effect was produced at 24 hours, but not seven days following the final self-administration session. Similar effects were produced in yoked rats that received the same, non-contingent exposure to MA. Pre-treatment with SCH 23390, but not eticlopride, produced a significant alteration in the dose-response curve of MA self-administration reinforced on an FR1 schedule, and reduced MA produced BPs on the PR schedule. MA-seeking was produced by MA, cocaine and GBR 12909. SCH 23390 pre-treatment significantly reduced drug-primed MA-seeking, whereas eticlopride had no significant effect. Finally, neither SKF 81297, nor quinpirole significantly increased MA-seeking. These findings suggest that self-administered MA does not produce the extensive neurotoxicity seen following high-dose experimenter-administered treatment regimes. The finding that pre-treatment with a D1-, but not a D2-like receptor antagonist altered the maintenance of MA self-administration suggests that neuroadaptations take place as a function of MA self-administration, rendering this behaviour more reliant on D1-like receptor mechanisms. This idea is further supported by the finding that a D1-, but not a D2-like antagonist reduced drug-primed MA-seeking, and that priming injections with a D2 agonist failed to increase MA-seeking behaviour. These results are in contrast to the literature on self-administration and reinstatement of drug-seeking following self-administration of other drugs of abuse, and suggest that dependence on different drugs may become mediated by different DA receptor mechanisms.