The dopamine transporter (DAT) is the primary site of action for psychostimulant drugs such
as cocaine, methylphenidate, and amphetamine. Our previous work demonstrated a …

Previous literature investigating neurobiological adaptations following cocaine self-
administration has shown that high, continuous levels of cocaine intake (long access; LgA) …

The cocaine-addicted phenotype can be modeled in rats based on individual differences in
preferred levels of cocaine intake and a propensity for relapse in withdrawal. These cocaine …

Dorsal lateral striatum (DLS) is a highly associative structure that encodes relationships
among environmental stimuli, behavioral responses, and predicted outcomes. DLS is known …

Mice of background DBA/2J are hyporesponsive to the behavioral effects of D-amphetamine
in comparison with the widely exploited murine background C57BL/6J. In view of the …

Rationale Studies in socially housed monkeys have demonstrated an influence of position in
the social dominance hierarchy on brain dopamine D2 receptors and the reinforcing effects …

Abnormal dopamine (DA) transmission occurs in many pathological conditions, including
drug addiction. Previously, we showed DA D2 receptor (D2R) activation results in pruning of …

The mesolimbic dopamine system is a critical mediator of reward-related learning and
behavior, and is strongly implicated in cocaine addiction. Cocaine acutely stimulates …

Striatal dopamine release is key for learning and motivation and is composed of subregions
including the dorsal striatum (DS), nucleus accumbens core, and the nucleus accumbens …

The costs associated with obtaining illicit drugs can fluctuate depending upon the relative
drug availability. As a consequence of the changing costs, the effort that one must exert to …