A prior history of binge-drinking increases sensitivity to the motivational valence of methamphetamine in female C57BL/6J mice. (January 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Sern, Kimberly R.; Fultz, Elissa K.; Coelho, Michal A.; Bryant, Camron D.; Szumlinski, Karen K.
• Is Part Of: Substance abuse. Volume 14(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-01
• Subjects: binge-drinking -- females -- sex differences -- place-conditioning -- reward -- methamphetamine -- co-abuse; Substance abuse -- Periodicals; Substance abuse -- Treatment -- Periodicals; Drug abuse -- Periodicals; Drug abuse -- Treatment -- Periodicals; Substance Abuse & Addiction; Drug abuse; Drug abuse -- Treatment; Substance abuse; Substance abuse -- Treatment; Substance-Related Disorders -- therapy; Periodicals; 362.2905
• DOI: 10.1177/1178221819897073
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1178-2218

Abstract

Methamphetamine (MA) and alcohol use disorders exhibit a high degree of co-morbidity and sequential alcohol-MA mixing increases risk for co-abuse. Recently, we reported greater MA-conditioned reward in male C57BL/6J mice with a prior history of binge alcohol-drinking (14 days of 2-hour access to 5, 10, 20 and 40% alcohol). As female mice tend to binge-drink more alcohol than males and females tend to be more sensitive than males to the psychomotor-activating properties of MA, we first characterized the effects of binge-drinking upon MA-induced place-conditioning (four pairings of 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, or 4 mg/kg IP) in females and then incorporated our prior data to analyze for sex differences in MA-conditioned reward. Prior binge-drinking history did not significantly affect locomotor hyperactivity or its sensitization in female mice. However, the dose-response function for place-conditioning was shifted to the left of water-drinking controls, indicating an increase in sensitivity to MA-conditioned reward. The examination of sex differences revealed no sex differences in alcohol intake, although females exhibited greater MA-induced locomotor stimulation than males, irrespective of their prior drinking history. No statistically significant sex difference was apparent for the potentiation of MA-conditioned reward produced by prior binge-drinking history. If relevant to humans, these data argue that both males and females with a prior binge-drinking history are similarly vulnerable to MA abuse and it remains to be determined whether or not the neural substrates underpinning this increased vulnerability reflect common or sex-specific adaptations in reward-related brain regions.