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The reinforcing efficacy of cocaine is thought to involve, at least in part, mesocortical dopaminergic (DA) neurons. Rats will self-administer cocaine applied directly into the medial prefrontal cortex but not into nucleus accumbens or the ventral tegmental area (Goeders & Smith, 1983). The present experiments were conducted to assess whether lesions of prefrontal cortex (mesocortical DA target regions) attenuate the reinforcing properties of systemically administered cocaine. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were anesthetized, and one of three subfields (medial, orbital, or precentral) of the prefrontal cortex was removed by aspiration or no brain injury was done (sham operates). In four experiments the rats were tested on conditioned place preference (CPP), conditioned taste aversion (saccharin conditioned stimulus, cocaine unconditioned stimulus), general activity in the running wheel and open field, and food …