The investigation of rodent cocaine self-administration (SA) under conditions that promote escalating patterns of intake may provide insight into the loss of control over drug use that is central to human addiction.

This study examines the effects of daily long-access (LgA) SA of high or low cocaine doses on drug intake, extinction, reinstatement, and brain mRNA levels.

Three groups of male Sprague-Dawley rats were trained to self-administer cocaine during multiple-dose sessions. Short-access (ShA) rats were tested daily for multi-dose SA then remained in the chambers for 7 h with no cocaine available. LgA rats had access to low (0.5 mg/kg per infusion; LgA-LD) or high (2.0 mg/kg per infusion; LgA-HD) cocaine doses for 7 h after multi-dose SA. After 14 days, responding was extinguished, cocaine-induced reinstatement was determined, and preproenkephalin (ppENK), preprodynorphin (ppDYN), corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) and dopamine D₂ receptor (D₂R) mRNA levels were measured in various brain regions using a quantitative solution hybridization RNase protection assay.

Whereas SA was not altered in ShA rats and only increased during the “loading phase” in LgA-LD rats, a general escalation of intake was found in LgA-HD rats. LgA, particularly LgA-HD, rats were more susceptible to reinstatement than ShA rats. Caudate-putamen ppENK and nucleus accumbens D₂R mRNA levels were elevated in LgA-HD rats. Overall, D₂R mRNA levels were positively correlated with reinstatement.

The escalation of cocaine SA under LgA conditions is dose-dependent and is associated with heightened susceptibility to drug-induced relapse. The characterization of neurobiological alterations that accompany escalated SA should facilitate the identification of mechanisms underlying the onset of human addiction.